


Health Insurance for the Heart

by altos, endgame_adashi



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: ADHD Lance, Alternate Universe - Medical, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Anxiety, Bisexual Lance, Depictions of medical procedures, Diabetic! Lance, Doctor! Allura, Doctor! Shiro, Gay Keith, Hospital Setting, I mean it is in a hospital so, If there are any other trigger tags I should know about please tell me, M/M, Medical Conditions, Medical Procedures, Multi, Nurse! Keith, Trans Girl Pidge, Trans Keith (Voltron), broganes (voltron), dare I say...angst?, death but not major character death, klance, lance has a latinx last name now i changed it, mlm author, shallura - Freeform, slowburn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-14
Updated: 2017-03-26
Packaged: 2018-09-08 12:47:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 50,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8845684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/altos/pseuds/altos, https://archiveofourown.org/users/endgame_adashi/pseuds/endgame_adashi
Summary: -Lance is just a little off kilter, ya know? There's no need for him to see a mcfreakin' doctor. Modern AU in which Lance is diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and has to learn how to make a smooth transition back into how his life was before. Keith is his nurse, and well, his nurse is pretty freakin' cute (Read: Lance is shook).





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> I received a lot of good feedback on my last fic, so here is another one that I have been putting a lot more effort into, so expect great things to come! Just to make this clear, this fics main setting is a hospital, so if you're upset by anything medical, I want to let you know right now:  
> There will be depictions of medical procedures, death, descriptions of medical facilities/issues, ect. So, basically: Trigger Warning. 
> 
> Besides that, I hope everyone enjoys!  
> A special thanks to TheSlytherinMudBlood (@thesaxymcclain on tumblr) because they're a dear friend who is helping me out with this! <3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I think what you do is pretty cool.” The carnelian-skinned boy shrugged, a shit-eating grin on his face,”Saving people’s lives? That’s, that’s pretty freaking cool. Kind of heroic.”
> 
> Keith snorted, his exhaustion wafting off him in waves now as he ran one hand through his hair. His stethoscope was lopsided on his shoulders and his ID tag was barely grasping onto his breast pocket. He looked anything but heroic.
> 
> “Thanks for the sentiment, but I’ll save the life saving spiel for the actual doctors,” Keith moved to stand, bringing Lance what seemed to be a cup of water.
> 
> “Bruh, you did not just downplay yourself.” Lance deadpanned at him, grasping the cup with one hand and moving it away from Keith’s still floating fingers.
> 
> “I mean, I’m not a doctor.” His voice had an edge to it, not harsh, but like he was trying to believe the words.

_Blep._ _Blep. Blep. Blep._

 The monitor was probably about the most annoying thing Lance could distinguish in that forbidden hospital room. Along with the stinging scent of chemicals and the chill that left him with goosebumps and a little more than a mindless shiver, there was also the fact that the A/C was on. He was wearing a short sleeve and no jacket, his arms completely bare. His eyes kept flitting to every corner of the room, unable to settle on anything for it’s blandness. God forbid they add a bit of color to the grey overtones of medical equipment and cabinets. There were some mildly interesting pamphlets tucked into plastic shelves on the walls and a choice amount of posters, but even they lacked the brightness that Lance would have appreciated in that moment of time.

 Lance groaned, kicking his feet back and forth. He chewed on his lower lip, thinking about the events leading up to this very moment, this very day. How he’d give anything to be anywhere else.

 

_“Dude, you really need to see a doctor. You’ve been really down lately, you’re usually off the walls.”_

 

He was fine, and Hunk was an overprotective friend. He’d give anything not to be in this stupid room, waiting on a stupid doctor. Give anything to be back in his _own_ room, playing video games with Pidge and eating the delicious nachos Hunk would make on their friday gaming nights. The sweet spicy smell of jalapeno peppers and the richness of the cheese. It made his mouth water just thinking about it.

 So what if he was a little tired, wasn’t he always? Well, okay, maybe he was a little more tired than usual but it wasn’t _that_ bad. Maybe he just needed to get more sleep, stop watching late night infomercials. But then again, he’d been more than a little fatigued in the past few days, unable to focus on much of anything.

 A quick, polite knock sounded on the door and he was roused from the food fantasy as what looked to be a doctor’s assistant entered the chilly enclosure.

 She was pretty, dressed in scrubs that had flowery decorations and smelled faintly of perfume, her hair pulled back into a tight bun that seemed to be loosening as she went about her business. She glanced at him, nodding curtly, acknowledging his existence but making no move to start a conversation. Lance shivered, sucking in cold air through his nose. The assistant made her way across the room, towards the cabinets that waited idly for her approach and made herself busy with the paperwork strewn across the countertop. Her fingers flitted through each page, one hand taking what looked like notes, however Lance couldn’t make out a single word in the messy scrawl. The curse of doctor’s handwriting, he supposed.She was comfortable in her setting, clicking her pen as she thought, biting her lower lip and turning pages, double checking most of them. Lance was the opposite, glancing at the almost bare walls and gripping the flimsy sheet of paper beneath him in an attempt of solidarity. He willed his heart to stop beating.

 “Mr.Valentín?” The voice startled him, seeming to come from nowhere and making him lose concentration, had he been focused at all.

“Yes?” He replied, clearing his throat, voice scratchy from sitting in that room, silent, unmoving for what seemed like hours. He was tired, hungry, _cold_ . He wanted to go _home_.

 “We’re a bit held up at the moment,” She started with an apology, her eyes crinkling as she offered a more than apologetic smile,”but a nurse will come to assess you soon.”

With those words, she offered him one more solid look before collecting her notes, stacking them and tucking the pen into her breast pocket. She double checked everything- as she seemed to do often, Lance deduced- and headed towards the door, shutting it gently as she exited.

 He was alone once again, and he didn’t know if he liked it or not. He hated the doctor for these reasons. The long waiting hours, the uncertainty of not knowing what was _wrong,_ the all too polite banter that ended with awkward silences on most occasions. And more than anything, Lance thought haughtily, he hated the _damn cold_.

 Lance realized he was going to be there for a while, and leaned back against the exam table. It was stiff and in no way a comfortable place to rest, but he was in no mood to whine about it. The table offered relief from the position he’d been holding that entire time- back straight, hands clutched at his sides, mouth in a thin line. He’d been kicking his legs back and forth but decided that wasn’t helping much and had stopped quite some time ago. He closed his eyes.

 A nurse would be coming to assess him soon. He perked up slightly at the promise. Maybe she’d be pretty like the assistant, with long locks of auburn hair pulled back, acrylic nails, bracelets. Maybe she’s be wearing all white and sporting a red cross. He chuckled to himself at the thought. Or maybe she’d smile at him, wink even, and counter his flirts with some of her own.

 The silence was deafening. He hated it. He _hated it._ At least with the assistant, there had been someone to _talk to_ , had he made the choice to attempt it. But with only his thoughts and an increasingly cold room, he was beginning to regret the visit more and more. He was only here on account of Hunk’s worried comments and Pidge’s stern gaze after all. He was only here for a checkup, to see if there was indeed something wrong. It shouldn’t be taking this long, or maybe he’d forgotten how doctor’s visits work.

 The door opened again, suddenly and with no polite knock. Lance was unprepared and shot up, eyes blinking open, limbs stiff with cold. His eyes darted around the room before settling on a set of pale blue scrubs, a mop of black hair. Lance instantly frowned.

 The nurse payed no attention to him, moving towards the counter and setting aside his clipboard. He let his eyes scan over every document, seeming to be more interested in the files than in the patient himself. Lance’s frown deepened. The nurse’s eyebrows drew together and he took out a pen, clicking it. Lance decided that the nurse’s somewhat cold approach didn’t warrant distaste, so it was safe to say his flirting would not be punished, if simply left unreturned.

Moving to the edge of the exam table, he shifted so as to better seat himself, making his posture less forced and granting him the ability to relax. Lance leaned back on his palms, splaying his fingers, putting weight into it. He grinned.

 “So,” Lance started, clearing his throat,”How are you?”

 Not his best approach, he’d admit, but the nurse didn’t seem frazzled. He lifted one eyebrow, hummed, as if acknowledging Lance, but didn’t articulate a response. He had stopped writing, turning to Lance slightly, blinking. But then he immediately returned to his work, seeming focused as ever. Lance pursed his lips and aimed to try again.

 “Sooo…” Lance lead with the same line, less confident now but still maintaining a _suave_ if all but subtle, air about him,”You come here often?”

 This time, Lance did get a reaction. The slight upturn of the nurse’s lips, his eyebrows drawing together, his eyes widening a bit. The nurse set down his pen, turned the 45 degree angle to face Lance--

\--and stared at him with the most confused expression Lance had ever seen.

“I work here.” He stated, firmly, but not harshly. He said it as if Lance hadn’t known, hadn’t been aware that he was in a medical facility, hadn’t been aware of said man’s uniform.

 "Yeah.” He replied instead, hastily and lacking the familiar flirtatious tone. Lance sighed, this was _not_ going smoothly.

 The nurse, much to Lance’s chagrin, had returned to his busied work- flitting through the papers, clicking the ink pen.

Finally, he turned to face Lance once again,”Mr.Valentín?” The familiar polite address.

“Yes?” The all too familiar polite response.

 The nurse smiled at him then, genuine, it seemed, and shuffled the papers before seeming to land on the one he was looking for,”Date of birth?”

“August 22.” He recited, adding the year when prompted.

“Alright, social security number?”

He recited that as well.

“Insurance?”

Another mindless answer, his thoughts beginning to drift away from the conversation at hand.

 “Hmm.” The nurse filled something out and then turned the paper over before moving on.

“Reason you’re being seen today?”

“Um,” That one was a lot harder to answer,”My friends have been pretty worried about me? I’ve been having a hard time concentrating and I’m lot tireder than usual.”

The nurse simply nodded at his statements before setting down the pen and folding his arms across his chest. He eyed Lance with a trained gaze, one he probably gave to each patient he examined,”Anything else? Has there been a change in your diet, bowel movements…” He let the words hang in the air, prompting Lance.

“Uh,” Lance fidgeted uncomfortably,”I’ve been...like…”

The nurse kept silent, waiting for him to finish.

“Peeing...more than usual? I guess.”

If the nurse noticed his embarrassment, he said nothing and turned to write something down, clicking the pen again. “Alright, Lance, we’re going to give you a quick look over, make sure everything’s where it’s supposed to be, okay?” His voice was gentle, as if speaking to a baby bird, and Lance felt inclined to relax.

“Okay.”

“Good.” The nurse stood on his toes and reached up towards the cabinets overhead the countertop and started to pull different instruments out. He set them to the side and washed his hands, his face was composed in a way that made him look well at home.

When he’d dried his hands, he turned to Lance again and approached him for the first time, making Lance lean away from pure instinct.

“Have you been drinking enough water?” He asked, reaching forward to run his fingers along the length of Lance’s spine, making him shiver.

“Uh, I’m not haha, probably no.”

“Ah.” The nurse broke out in a smile, pulling his hands away to pat down his sides observantly,”You’re like most. I’ll admit even I don’t always keep up with my health how I should.”

“You? No way. Don’t believe it.” Lance snorted, grinning back. The nurse seemed to be warming up and now it felt like maybe he’d just read the guy wrong.

“I’m serious.” He laughed, moving his hands away to grasp at the stethoscope around his neck,”I’m gonna check your breathing.” He removed the object and set the plugs in his ears, bringing the drum to left side of Lance’s shoulder blade,”Breath in nice and big for me, okay?”

Lance complied, sucking in a breath, albeit shaky from the contact. He’d been expecting a cute nurse, but man...this guy was attractive and had a laugh that could lull babies to sleep. It was more than adorable, and Lance’s cheeks began to flush.

 “Again.” The voice came, soft, gentle. The nurse moved the drum to the opposite side of his back.

“And again.” He removed the drum and repositioned it on Lance’s chest. Finally, the nurse removed the plugs and started to set the scope back on his shoulders, evening out the cord,”I’m gonna take your pulse now, and your blood pressure.” He pulled back, towards the large machine routinely placed beside the exam table. His face seemed more calculating now.

 The nurse seemed to become satisfied with how he set up the machine and turned back to Lance, prompting him to lift his arm. He gripped his hand lightly and let his fingers travel along the skin until they reached his wrist. As if confirming something, the nurse nodded to himself and let go of Lance’s arm, reaching for the arm band,”Lift up.” He once again prompted and Lance offered him the arm once more. The nurse wrapped the arm band around it and secured the velcro. He took out one of those disposable thermometers and after Lance opened his mouth, placed it beneath his tongue. He took Lance’s finger and pressed a close-pin like sensor to his index finger and turned back to the machine, beginning to pump the arm band.

After a few moments, everything beeped and Lance was relieved of the devices, sighing in content as he was able to move freely now.

“Your pulse is good...a little fast, but you’re probably just nervous, it’s normal.”

Lance grimaced.

“Your vitals all seem normal.” The nurse squinted at the screen and bit his lip, turning to his clipboard and starting to scrawl the numbers on some paper, probably illegible to a patient’s eye.

“Lance?” He questioned after a momentary pause, still squinting at the papers.  

“Yeah?” Lance replied, raising an eyebrow.  

“Is there anything else that’s been out of the ordinary? Thirst, hunger, nausea?”

Lance shrugs,”I mean...I guess I’ve been drinking more lately. Not really water, though.”

He nodded at Lance, writing something down again and tapping the pen against the clipboard.

The nurse lifted his head and smiled, turning back to the counter and placing the clipboard upon it,”I’m gonna take your blood, just to check.”

“My blood?” Okay, that’s nothing to worry about. Common procedure right? Lance still stiffened against the table,”I-Is there something wrong?”

The nurse shook his head,”You’re fine. I’m just checking something. Relax, Lance.”

For some reason, the way he said his name, _Lance_ \- it made him do exactly as he said. His shoulders slumped and he curled his fingers together, squeezing his hands in his lap.

 

A moment later, the nurse was pulling on latex gloves, snapping them back against his wrist when he’d pulled them up as far as they would go. He started to lay instruments out on a shiny metal tray.

“So, what’s your name?” Lance asked nervously, trying to start (and keep) conversation.

The nurse tapped something, flicking his finger against an instrument that made Lance’s skin crawl. He smiled and set it back on the tray,”Keith.”

“That’s a cool name.” Lance said with a squeak, then reaching up with a fist to cough insecurely into it.

“Yeah, I guess.” The nurse- _Keith_ , chuckled and moved the tray over to the exam table,”Yours is cool too.”

“Yeah, it is.” Lance smirked, regaining a meager portion of confidence.

Keith snorted and rolled his eyes playfully, taking out a small object from the tray,”This won’t hurt a bit. I’ll be quick, okay?”

“Mhm.” Lance’s mouth was sealed shut as he stared at Keith’s hands. He cleared his throat and turned his eyes to the wall,”I’m not scared or anything, so it’s no problem, really.”

Keith looked unconvinced, eyebrows pulled together and a wry smile playing against his lips as he paused his hands for a moment,”It’s okay to be scared, Lance.”

“I’m not!” Lance’s cheeks flushed lightly as he whirled his head back around, sputtering in the defense of himself.

Keith nodded, looking back at his work,”Right. Okay, you’re not scared.” He seemed to agree, or at least he was pretending to, so Lance let his pout relax and allowed a sigh to escape.

“Damn right.”

Keith laughed loudly.

 

He then held out his hand and gestured for Lance’s own. Lance complied and tentatively raised his own hand towards Keith. The nurse gripped it lightly and fumbled with his fingers, selecting the middle one. He took a cotton swab off of the tray, having soaked it with rubbing alcohol and swiped it over the skin on Lance’s finger,”You won’t even feel it.” He reassured, though it only increased Lance’s anxiety.

Keith picked up the small squared object and gave Lance one last glance,”You can look away.”

Lance didn’t even protest as he focused on the wall.

“So, how was your weekend?” The voice sounded and Lance felt him moving his hands against his own.

“Um, it was okay. I mostly just laid around at home.”

“Sounds fun.” The chuckle came again and Lance felt his cheeks heat up,”My own was uneventful as well. I don’t get out much.”

“Well, you work at a hospit-OW!” Lance jumped in his seat, feeling the prick against his finger. He turned to Keith then, gaping in betrayal. Keith was smiling apologetically up at him, taking a rather large looking almost phone-like device and squeezing the blood from the wound,”It’s better if you don’t see it coming.”

“You told me I _wouldn’t even feel it_.” Lance scoffed, giving the nurse a withering look.

“If I told you it’d hurt, you wouldn’t have been quite as compliant.” Keith mused, pressing a bandaid to the finger and giving Lance’s knuckles a soft _pat pat_. “For all it’s worth, though, I’m sorry.”

“I don’t know if I’m ready to forgive you just yet.” Lance let out an exaggerated sniffle, making Keith laugh.

“That’s okay, you don’t have to right away.” Keith played along, getting up and stalking over to the counter once more.

“I need time.” Lance hugged himself, pretending to be distraught. Keith rolled his eyes.

“Haha, what do you want me to do so you’ll forgive me?” He offered, staring down at the device as it beeped.

“Give me hospital pudding.” Lance crossed his arms, taking the offer with the utmost seriousness.

Keith turned to blink at him, mouth pressed into a thin line,”Hospital...pudding.”

“Yes.”

“Uh-huh.” Keith turned back to the handheld monitor,”That’s what you want. Pudding?”

“Not just _any_ pudding!” Lance seemed taken aback, very distressed about how the pudding was perceived. He, for one, thought the request was reasonable enough,” _Hospital Pudding._ It’s better than the regular stuff.”

“Oh. Uh, ‘kay.” Keith shrugged, eyebrows drawn together. He seemed to shift moods as he stared at the machine. After a moment of silence he pressed a button and sighed, mumbling incoherently,”350...hmm.”

“What’s wrong?” Lance caught on to the change in atmosphere and gave Keith a quizzical look.

Keith, regaining the easy smile, appeared unfazed,”We’re gonna have to skip out on the pudding.”

“ _Whhaaat?_ Why?” In Lance’s defense, he was really looking forward to getting his hands on some of that delicious tapioca. He was a sucker for sweets, after all. But who wasn’t?

“Yeah, I’m sorry.” Keith didn’t look sorry at all. He was smiling, clicking his pen and writing down more information that Lance could, had he been able to even read it, care less about. Lance was more concerned about the pudding.

“Wait, wait, why are you withholding pudding from me. That’s like, cruel, ya know that? What’s it called-” He waved his hand absently in the air,”Cruel and Unusual Punishment? That’s it. _That’s_ what you’re doing to me, Keith.”

“I’m sorry again.” He was not sorry.

Keith gave him another smile before finishing up whatever notes he had been taking and beginning to set all the instruments back in place. Lance huffed slightly and leaned back against the table, kicking his legs out to maintain balance,”Sure.”

Keith didn’t reply as he set everything away and washed his hands again, throwing the gloves into a disposal. He turned to Lance, clipboard in hand, when he was done. His easy smile washed over him once more before it faded into a tiny upturn of his lips. Either way, he looked welcoming enough. “The doctor will come to see you shortly.”

 

 _Oh._ Lance didn’t know _why_ he was disappointed, but he was. Very much so. His interactions with the nurse- _Keith_ , with Keith, had been short-lived, but Lance was suddenly very sad to see that it was being brought to an end. His shoulders slumped slightly,”Okay...Thanks.”

Keith nodded and gave him another warm grin, flipping through the papers on the clipboard for a moment and tucking the pen back into his breast pocket. “We’ll figure everything out, so don’t worry too much.” Despite this, Lance started to worry more. Figure things out? There was something _to figure out?_

 Keith left silently through the door, making Lance remember exactly how cold the room was. And exactly how there was 0 percent of him that wanted to be there. He inhaled sharply, dragging his hands across his face and pulling them down onto his chin, biting his lower lip slightly. _What now?_ The simple thought sent his brain in a downward spiral and he groaned for the millionth time in that hour alone. He was very much in need of a warm apartment couch.

 Not as much time passed as the last, and soon he was face to face with the doctor. The man that walked through that door was broad in stature and had this, air about him, something that made him both approachable and scary. Not scary, per say, as he saw the man shoot him a warm grin that made him melt into butter (or pudding). Just...mildly intimidating?

 “Hello, Lance.” The voice was even warmer than the smile and Lance had to hold back a disbelieving scoff. The doctor held a clipboard, much as Keith had, and was adorned in the infamous white coat. He wore a dress shirt underneath and plain slacks, a tie thrown sloppily onto the neck of his shirt. What stood out most about him, however, was the long broad scar across his face.

The man stared at him a little longer, smile set in stone and seeming to be waiting for a reply before Lance sputtered and offered him one.

“H-hi. Um.” He didn’t continue, and pursed his lips slightly, losing his cool somewhat.

The doctor didn’t notice (or didn’t comment on it, more likely) and headed towards the counter as the other two had done. “I am Dr.Shirogane and I’ll be examining you today.”  Lance had to admit, the routine was starting to wear on him.

 

“Mhm, mhm. You’re in pretty good shape here, Lance.” The smile was present in even his voice, and Lance relaxed just as he had with Keith. Dr.Shirogane’s eyes flitted from the paperwork to him in a split second, making Lance immediately straighten his posture and suck in a gulp of air.

“Pretty much a clean bill of health.”

Lance didn’t like the sound of that,”Pretty much?”

The doctor nodded, sliding on some disposable latex-free gloves,”We’re a little worried about your glucose levels.” He finally admitted, his eyes crinkling at the sides as he maintained the same gentle grin,”It’s not an extreme case, so it’s nothing to freak out over right now. But we will need to be monitoring you overnight.”

“Monitor-?Extreme case...What-what’s going on, exactly?” Lance could feel his heart rate spiking and he wondered if the doctor could feel it too.

Dr. Shirogane looked to be weighing his options as he didn’t answer for a long time and ran his tongue absently over his parched lips,”Your blood glucose is too high and we’ve come to the conclusion-” The doctor paused, turning to open a cabinet, and Lance started to wonder exactly who _we_ was,”You’re being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.” The doctor finished his sentence. He looked to have been through this same conversation many times, as he took a step back to lean against the far wall, almost as if waiting for Lance to finally let the words sink in.

“Um,” Lance fumbled for something say, his throat was suddenly dry and he felt like heaving. Had that feeling been there before? “I uh, what.”

“I know it’s a lot to let sink in,” The doctor gave him his best apologetic smile,”but with proper maintenance, it’ll just be another part of you.”

“Uh, no, but,” Lance didn’t seem to be able to corelate words with thought and he stumbled blindly over the sentence,”I, I’m what?”

“You’re Type 1 Diabetic, Lance.”

“No, see, uh, that’s-that’s not correct.” Lance held up a finger, but his movement was forced and his hand seemed to be shaking slightly,”I’m-I’m not,” He laughed nervously,”I’m not _diabetic_.”

Dr. Shirogane’s smile grew in width and his eyebrows furrowed together,”I’m afraid so, Lance. And you’re lucky we caught it, or this would have been a lot worse.”

Lance didn’t _want_ to think about _worse._ He didn’t want to think about it at _all_.

“So you’re telling me-” Lance shimmies off the table but it doesn’t help as he sways slightly on his feet,”that I’m cursed with never eating sugar again. Is that it. I gotta let my sweet, sweet relationship with food just, bye, fly out the window. I’m done. That’s it?”

The doctor snorted,”Oh God, no. Is-is that what you think diabetes is?”

Lance gaped for a moment before nodding slightly and shrugging,”Uh...yeah, ‘lil bit.”

The doctor shook his head absently and smiled, crossing his arms,”Well, it’s not. It’s a very scientific and easily understood thing that, as I said, will soon become a part of you that you don’t even think about. Second-nature.” He then set his hand atop Lance’s shoulder when he approached,”You’ll be fine. Just try and relax for now, okay?”

Lance felt wobbly and was liable to sit, but didn’t,”Okay.”

 

* * *

 

When Dr. Shirogane said he didn’t have to kiss food goodbye, he must have left out the part about _kissing food goodbye._ He’d been left in some god-forsaken wing of Altea Hospital and Urgent Care, destined to death by starvation. _“We can’t let you eat until your blood sugar drops.”_  The doctor had been very adamant about this, and Lance was beginning to think it was pure torture and had no other reason than for him to be mocked. However, as his stomach growled for the umpteenth time that night, he heard the sound of wheels against the hospital flooring.

 Lance leaned up against the hospital bed (that’s right...hospital bed) and tried to kreen his head around to get a look at the halls. He heard, and recognized, the sound of the cart. It had food. _Food._ And he was hungry after being restrictively forced into a fast since earlier that evening.

 Much to his luck, the sound drew closer to Lance’s room and he straightened out against the bed, waiting to see who would peek out from behind the curtain.

He certainly hadn’t expected _Keith._

Not that he thought food patrol was below him, he just, had seen Keith as a busy individual who had more pressing matters to attend to. Ya know, diseases to cure and fingers to prick even though he _promised_ it wouldn’t hurt.

But all the same, Lance was happy for the familiar face looking back at him.

Keith smiled,”Hey, High Bg. You feelin’ a little better?”

Lance almost scoffed, but was too focused on the food. It didn’t look all that good, but food was food. Keith followed his gaze and lifted a plate in his hands,”I bet you’re starving. Sorry, but it’s protocol, ya know.”

“You doctor people suck ass.” Lance groaned as he took the plate from Keith’s outstretched hand. Keith chuckled in response, not taking any real offense. “I suppose we do.”

“Thanfs tho.” Lance murmured around the mouthful of- what was it? Chicken?- food and winked at him subtly. The nurse set his mouth in a straight line, coming to sit on a wheely chair beside Lance’s bed and leaned on the back of it, watching Lance eat.

Lance wanted to say something, kind of, but his mouth was busy with food and he didn’t exactly mind the company. Why was he staying though? Didn’t he have other patients to tend to? The answer was written in the little droop of Keith’s eyelids and the tug of a frown at the corners of his mouth. His hair was disheveled and unkempt and his scrubs were ruffled and seemed to not have been smoothed down in hours. Lance realized then, that Keith looked absolutely _exhausted._ And he felt pretty guilty then, too. He was sitting there, being catered to by nurses, and he hadn’t even for a moment thought about how rough their shifts must be. How rough the job in general, probably was, day in and day out.

Keith, for what it was worth, seemed happy to rest his feet, if only for a few moments. “Are you handling things okay?”

Lance glanced back up at him, swallowing the remains of some chicken (yes, that’s what it was, he confirmed) and breathing in,”Well, I can’t really-I mean I guess.” Lance shrugged, moving the fork around on the plate. Keith nodded slightly, but the bob of his head was robotic and Lance considered for a moment that Keith wasn’t even listening at all.

“It’s a hard transition.” Keith smiled, eyes opening again. Despite how tired he looked, he didn’t seem bothered by the fatigue that Lance knew was creeping up on him. “Most patients get used to things a few weeks in, if not within the first few days. You’ll be fine, I can tell.”

Lance didn’t know if that was meant to be a compliment, but he didn’t argue and instead set the plate on his lap,”Is the job rough?” He decided to change the subject, to one he had been pondering since Keith walked in. The nurse raised one eyebrow, slightly surprised to be receiving attention,”It’s, it’s not a bad job.” He started, wafting one hand through the air lazily,”I enjoy it a lot.”

“I can tell.” Lance handed him the plate when he reached for it, watching as Keith set it back onto the cart. “I was asking if it’s rough. Like, no offense dude, but you look like...you look like something the cat drug in, but the cat was also simultaneously drug in by a dog. Like, you-it’s bad.” Lance chuckled slightly.

He was met with a perturbed expression and Keith seemed almost offended before brushing his bangs back with one hand,”Yeah, I take long shifts. It...It gets to you.”

Lance simply blinked in response, noticing the way Keith’s blue-grey eyes (were they flecked with violet?) dulled a bit at the words he spoke.

 As if the air between them had thickened, Lance cleared his throat and clicked his tongue,”Well,”

Keith looked up at him, curious.

“I think what you do is pretty cool.” The carnelian-skinned boy shrugged, a shit-eating grin on his face,”Saving people’s lives? That’s, that’s pretty freaking cool. Kind of heroic.”

Keith snorted, his exhaustion wafting off him in waves now as he ran one hand through his hair. His stethoscope was lopsided on his shoulders and his ID tag was barely grasping onto his breast pocket. He looked anything but heroic.

 “Thanks for the sentiment, but I’ll save the life saving spiel for the actual doctors,” Keith moved to stand, bringing Lance what seemed to be a cup of water.

“Bruh, you did not just downplay yourself.” Lance deadpanned at him, grasping the cup with one hand and moving it away from Keith’s still floating fingers.

“I mean, I’m _not_ a doctor.” His voice had an edge to it, not harsh, but like he was trying to believe the words.

“Doesn’t mean you can’t be pretty heroic.” Lance winked as he immersed himself in the water, thankful to be able to quench his thirst. Keith shrugged, but didn’t push the issue. He instead moves to the side and fluffs out Lance’s pillows, asks him if he needs anything else, and offers him a tired, but surprisingly genuine lopsided grin.  

It seems he’s about to leave, checking Lance’s files and looking them over with some sort of precision, saying something every so often,”-we’ll put you on physical therapy and see where that takes you. Unfortunately, I’m not sure when you’ll be able to transition out of the hospital, but it should be soon, as you seem to be otherwise in fairly good shape and-”

Keith is cut off by an alarm. Lance is, quite frankly, _alarmed_ when he hears it and his eyes go wide, hands jumping to his hears. He squeaks slightly, searching frantically for the source.

Keith, however, is sparked with a renewed energy, showing the face of a man that didn’t just work a 12 hour shift and overtime. His eyebrows furrow and he reaches for the pager clipped at his side, his other hand flying out the grasp the edges of the curtain- their only means of privacy. The alarm isn’t blaringly loud, but it had been enough to startle Lance, and now he stared with a very confused expression, at Keith.

Keith, ignoring Lance for the first time, swings the curtain open and analyzes the nurses and doctors rushing past him. One runs by, gripping some sort of oxygen mask, and pants as she passes him.

_“Code Blue! Code Blue!”_

Lance can see Keith’s eyes visibly widen and almost _hear_ the sweat rolling down his back as the messy haired nurse mutters to himself,”Code Blue... _fuck!_ ” He must have meant for only himself to hear, but doesn’t apologize as he turns to Lance briefly,”Emergency in the adjacent wing. I gotta go. Was nice meeting you.” And with that, Keith is gripping his stethoscope to keep it stable against his shoulders as he rushes out into the hall and the alarm fades into white noise.

* * *

 

 _Not again. Not again._ His thoughts are a scramble of anxiety and cold precision as he makes his way to the opposite wing. _Cardiac Arrest…_

Keith was, in the eyes of others, one of the more experienced nurses at Altea Hospital, but he didn’t feel like that mattered in moments like this. Moments where the air was thick with the battle between life and death, moments where he was running on no more than a hard dose of caffeine and pure adrenaline. Nights like these, they were the worst.

He took long shifts for a reason, but he hated himself all the same for doing so. He didn’t have to, and he didn’t get paid all that much more for it, but he did. His life was the hospital, and he didn’t know much else.

“We need a pump, stat. His lungs are failing, get the drip, we need to start with compressions. He’ll go into full arrest if-hurry up and get the pump!” A doctor’s assistant yells mindlessly at the interns and nurses that surround them. The man in question, is one Keith knows well. He came in with heart problems only a few days prior.

“1...2...3…” Someone is performing compressions now, and Keith lets out a shaky breath. He stabilizes himself, lets himself breathe, and rushes into the frenzy.

“Carol, get me the AED, we’re losing him.” Keith’s voice is coming out strong now, stronger than he thought it would. The doctor’s assistant in question nods, her eyes frantic as she rushes over to some far end of the room. Keith pulls off his stethoscope and tosses it aside, rolling up his sleeves and tying his hair back as he waits. “ _Carol!”_ He’s losing his patience now.

“H-here.” She comes over with the machine and hands it to him. Keith sets to work right away, trying to make up for lost time. He places the machine beside the man and unclasps it. There are a few seconds with which he uses to tear open the thin gown the patient is wearing before he is taking out the pads and placing them onto his chest.

 

_“Doctor! We’re trying our best, but we’re not sure if-”_

 Keith breathes in. _So he’s here now._ He lets the thought slip his mind momentarily, however, as he turns on the machine and starts to apply the electroshocks. Once...Twice…

Keith grips his lower lip between his teeth as he glances up at the heart monitor, just _barely_ maintaining a blep. Just... _barely_ …

 “Let’s try pumping him with adrenaline.” Someone suggests, probably an intern.

 Keith shakes his head numbly as his fingers fly to the man’s chest. He finally finds his voice again, realizing all eyes are on him, waiting. Waiting for him to tell them what to do. Keith flares his nostrils,”Get me an Epinephrine Shot.”

 There’s some bodies moving, rushing to comply with his words, but Keith’s eyes are focused on the slowly reducing bleps of the heart monitor. _Not again._ The voice in his head is breaking him down, reducing his thoughts to nothing more than _Not again. Not again._

 

_Not again._

 

At some point a large shot is placed in his hand and he tightens his fingers around it out of instinct. He turns, panting, towards the patient again. This is his last option, and if it doesn’t work--

 Keith doesn’t have time for his stupid thoughts. He takes the cap off, twisting the end of the syringe and making sure there’s no air bubbles before he brings it to the side of the patient’s thigh. He isn’t gentle when he stabs the needle into the man’s skin and slowly but surely injects the drug. He waits. They all wait. There’s only the sound of the pulse monitor as they all stand there. Keith doesn’t move the needle from his skin right away, watching with a focused gaze.

 

_Blep...Blep...Blep...Ble-_

 

And suddenly there’s a long drawn out, shrill noise and Keith is frantically pulling the needle away and handing it to some other nurse.

  _Not again._

 “Why are you just standing there!” He snarls at the other staff, who stand paralyzed in their positions,”We’re _not_ gonna lose him!” He’s persistent, but even he isn’t that dumb. Isn’t that optimistic. They’d tried.

  _Not again._

 “We…” A young girl with tied up locks of brunette hair steps forward, shuddering under Keith’s gaze. An intern, he deduces. “We could try the AED again.”

 He considers this, briefly. But the sound of the monitor no longer bleping- just resounding this long, violent crawl of a noise- makes him remember exactly where he is. They’d tried.

He shakes his head at the girl and grits his teeth,”No.” That’s all he says. He would have said more, would have said,”We tried, but he’s gone. We did our best.” He was never one for pep talks, or comforting the rest of the staff. That’s where Shiro came in.

 And he did. “Alright, guys. Let’s get busy.” His voice is warm as it fills the room, ridding it of the cold, dead silence. Some nurses are already draping a sheet over the man’s face. Keith clenches his fists as he watches. _That man had a name._

He hated that he couldn’t remember, but God, he had so many patients to tend to. The excuse didn’t ease his guilt, however.

Keith let out a slow, easy breath as he turned to Shiro, knowing the doctor would be standing behind him- probably with a concerned look.

Shiro eyes him warily, setting a hand on his shoulder and turning him away from the scene. He must have looked like a wreck if Shiro was going out of his way to shield him.

  _Not again. Not again. Not again._

 “Kogane, are you there?” His voice is stern, but doesn’t lack the usual gentleness. Keith urges himself to slow his erratic breathing, forces his eyes to look away and back up at the doctor’s concerned gaze.

“Yeah. Yeah I’m here.” His words are shaky and not quite grounding, but they fall off his tongue anyways and he accepts them silently.

“Sharp work.” Shiro compliments him, giving the shoulder a mild squeeze of comfort,”It wasn’t your fau-”

“My fault. I know.” Keith brushes the hand off and starts walking away from the room, leaving the lingering buzz of sweat and adrenaline behind. He didn’t glance at the nurse-surrounded body as he left, tugging the curtain back into place.

 “Kogane.” The voice of Shiro follows directly behind him and he sighs, not knowing why he thought he could get away without being pestered. He was shaken, that much was true. Hospitals weren’t exactly a place of the _living_ , but it was always this way. Every single time.

  _Not again._

Keith just needs some time to himself. He’s no stranger to the death toll the walls of that hospital saw every day, no he wasn’t shielded and coddled. But he wasn’t heartless. And neither were the staff. There would be a healing process, a time where each member of the hospital staff would start their mourning for the man they barely knew. There would be phone calls home, done by nurses with their hands shakily tangled in the cord. There would be a morgue assistant who stares with glassy eyes at the task laid before him. There would be hushed whispers and long silences as everyone thought to themselves,

_“What could we have done?”_

 Keith doesn’t slow his pace as he heads towards the cafeteria. Shiro is still behind him and decides to take longer and quicker strides to keep up. His coat flaps behind him and he rests his clipboard at his side,”Kogane.”

 Keith clenches his fists slightly as he makes a sharp turn,”I’m fine, _Doctor._ ”

“ _Kogane._ ”

Keith shuts up then, the warning being enough to remind him of his place. He doesn’t, however, unclench his fists.

They walk in silence for a moment before Shiro sighs and slaps his forehead with the clipboard,”Keith, I thought you said you weren’t going to-”

“You can’t just expect me to do _nothing?”_  Keith whirls on him then, turning a complete 180 and stopping Shiro in his tracks.

“Keith, I didn’t assign you to that wing.” Shiro’s eyes are narrowed in slight frustration,”I’m glad you didn’t fuck up, but-”

“Didn’t fuck up? _Didn’t fuck up?”_ Keith’s nose is screwed up and he reaches up to the stethoscope he retrieved on his way out. He pulls on the cord roughly,”That man is _dead_.”

Shiro starts, glaring at him for a moment, but then drags a hand through his platinum bangs and grits his teeth. He lifts a finger to shake in front of Keith’s face and Keith vaguely contemplates biting it off. “Listen, next time I assign you to a patient, you don’t get to decide whether or not to heed it.”

 _Blah, blah, blah,_ Keith rolls his eyes,”I told you already, I’m _fine._ I can- I’m okay.”

Shiro shakes his head,”Keith, I’m the doctor. I decide if you’re fine or not.”

Keith knew it was supposed to be a smartass comment but something snaps inside of him and he straight up glares up at the man,”What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

Realizing he’s crossed a line, Shiro takes a hesitant step back but doesn’t shake his gaze,”It means that what I say is _final,_ Keith.”

There’s a pregnant pause and then the sound of a hospital bed wheeling by them breaks the tension and Keith turns back the way he was going. “Whatever.” He’s still on his way to the cafeteria. He wants to drown himself in a cup of coffee and maybe doze off for a couple of hours. He only now realized his shift was up a long time ago.

 

“Keith, I mean it.” Shiro is still keeping pace with him and Keith stifles a groan.

“I want you in charge of that new patient we got in today, the one in the east wing.” He says this as if Keith should instantly know who he’s talking about. Keith, however, has no bells ringing and raises an eyebrow at him as he enters the double doors of the cafeteria.

“Um, could you elaborate?”

“The young man that came in today,” Shiro looks like he expected Keith to remember,”We diagnosed him with Type 1 Dia-”

“Oh, him?” The bell finally chimes and recognition dawns on his face, along with a small smile and droop of his shoulders as he relaxes,”You want me to monitor him or what?” Keith is only paying slightly attention as he leaves the security of the door and walks more into the open space. He heads towards the vending machine area where there is a countertop filled with coffee instruments. He picks up a cup and starts his routine.

“I want you to help him transition.” Shiro stuffs his hands into the coat pockets, clipboard held under one arm, and watches Keith rip open sugar packets with indifference,”It’s two in the morning, ya know?”

“I’m shocked.” The reply comes but he doesn’t sound shocked at all and instead stirs the coffee with slow and fluid strokes. Once he’s satisfied with how it is, Keith turns with the cup set against his lips,”You want _me_ to transition him?”

Shiro nods, remaining serious about the topic,”I want you to take a step away from your usual position and start working in the east wing.”

Keith narrows his eyes and sips at the drink, making sure not to scald his tongue,”And you discussed this with Dr.Altea?”

Shiro rolls his eyes,”As if you think-”

“Oh no, I don’t think.” Keith lets out a huff,” _Takashi._ Nice try, but you and I both know you don’t have the authority to transfer me unless stated by the Chief of Medicine and you obviously haven’t-”

“Don’t be so quick to jump to conclusions, Kogane.” Shiro is smirking at him now,”Miss Allura thinks it’s a great idea-”

“ _Noooo-”_ Keith starts, groaning and leaning his head back to amplify his growing agony.

“-try to be a little more focused. We just really think this will be good for you.” His voice has turned sincere and Keith can’t help but feel his anger fading.

Keith rolls his eyes again and pushes back against the table, starting to walk away,”Yeah, whatever. East wing. Diabetes transition. Got it.”

“Type 1 Diabe-”

“I’m not an intern! _God,_ Shiro!” He waves his hands angrily in the air, spilling a little coffee,”I’ve got this!”

“I know, I know. Sorry.” The older of the two sighs and rubs one hand across his scar,”I know you do.”

There’s a moment and Keith turns back around to face him again. He let’s his features relax and thumbs at the coffee cup. They don’t get many quiet moments, in the hospital, but they cherish the ones they do. Keith breaths in the warm steam from the coffee and lists his head to the side, looking at the ground,”I just-” He breathes in deeply,”When it’s happening, there’s moments where I forget. Where I’m not sure what to do.” Keith bites his lip and shrugs,”And it’s kind of terrifying.”

The silence stretches but soon Shiro’s resting his hand against Keith’s shoulder again,”It’s all pretty terrifying, Keith.” He leans down to Keith’s height, prompting the younger man to look up. Shiro smiles briefly,”But,” He squeezes the shoulder,”If you get too worried about what could go wrong, you might miss a chance to do something great.”

 

_“Doesn’t mean you can’t be pretty heroic.”_

 

Keith holds his gaze for a moment before nodding and averting his eyes again. “Thanks, Doc.” There’s a light chuckle and the air seems to feel a little lighter. Keith smiles, the genuine one he uses with kids and pregnant mothers. The one he uses on people in pain and hysterical parents. His real smile- kind and understanding.

Shiro smiles back and releases the hold he has on Keith’s shoulder, backing up a bit,”You deserve the break, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it nevertheless.”

Keith nods, blinking up at him. Of course he would enjoy it, he enjoyed his job. It was just that one part of it, the dark part that nobody seemed to want to talk about, that made his anxiety spark and his palms become sweaty. It was only the terrifying part that settled within him a suspicious unease.

“Are you coming back up?”

Keith looks up at the question and slowly shakes his head. Shiro quirks an eyebrow.

“I’m gonna,”Keith looks around the all but empty cafeteria before continuing,”I’m gonna just sit for a while.”

Shiro doesn’t object, knowing Keith wants to be alone so he can re-energize, and smiles as he heads towards the doors. “Patient name: Lance Valentín. Type 1 Diabet-”

“ _Shiro, I. Got. It!_ ” Keith chases him out with his annoyed yell as he hears the man chuckle from behind the now closing double doors. Keith rolls his eyes to himself.

 

He soon finds a seat and leans back against the chair with a groan. His eyes flit shut and he sighs.

The events of the day play on the back of Keith’s eyelids, as they always do, and he struggles to push the images down, a new thought emerging. He purses his lips and thinks about how things will be in the east wing now.

Keith is used to the emergency room, that much is clear. He’s used to broken legs that need to be set all the way up to bullet wounds. He’s used to blood and tears and screaming, frantic patients. And because of this, he’s also used to remaining calm in those situations. He’s only ever lost his cool, _really lost his cool_ , once. And that was a long, long time ago. It was a faint memory, but one he’ll never be able to forget. It haunts him every time he loses a patient, and every time he saves one; a cool hand that presses against his neck and makes him shudder.

 

“Keith.” The voice is cheery and lyrical and he doesn’t need to open his eyes to know who it is. He hums in acknowledgement.

“Chief.” His voice is dripping with the exhaustion he is only now starting to feel.

A snort and then the woman slides into a chair next to him and leans in close,”You’re not on shift right now, why aren’t you at home, _sleeping_?” The voice is stern, but friendly.

Keith opens his eyes finally and almost whines. Dr.Altea liked her staff in tip top condition and Keith was always somehow not adhering to those standards. She liked to dote over him, reminding him to drink water, and rest on his off time, and to _not_ play with his stethoscope. Keith, in turn, had grown affectionate of her as well.

“You can’t keep sneaking these overtime hours on me, Keith.” Her grin is playful, but she seems serious enough,”Soon you won’t be sleeping at all, and then what will I do? My head nurse out of commision? Who will deliver the jello to all the patien-”

“Hey!” He snaps out of his half-doze and gives her an incredulous look.

She laughs and braces a hand against her stomach,”You know I’m joking!”

“It’s not funny!” His voice cracks a bit, prompting another laugh out of the doctor.

“Okay, okay, I apologize.” Her english accent slips in thickly through her words and she barely masks a smile,”I really do appreciate you, Keith.”

“Thanks, Chief.” He replies dully, but his heart flutters a bit in his chest.

“Now.” Her mood has shifted and Keith braces himself for the flurry of indisputable orders she is about to deck onto him,”You go home and get some _rest._ I need you healthy. We cannot have sick nurses when there are already more than enough sick patients.”

Keith hears the edge to her tone and he nods solemnly. They couldn’t afford to lose any staff right now. “Yes, Ma’am.”

 

* * *

 

He doesn’t bother changing clothes when he returns to his locker. He just shrugs on his dark blue jacket over his scrubs and pulls the ties. He grabs his bag and hoists it over his head to place on his shoulder and shuffles for the keys in his pockets.

He nods goodbye as the early morning staff begin to arrive and settle in, used to seeing Keith leaving a little later than most, and he makes his way to the bottom floor. On his way out, he passes through the east wing, walking through the hall lined with curtains and dimly lit ceiling fixtures. He wants to just pass through, but something compels him to check on the patient he would be in charge of for the coming days, or even weeks.

 He searches for the curtain the patient would be hiding behind, but finds it rather difficult when they all look the same. Cursing softly to himself, he starts to peek behind each of the curtains. Finally, after the third curtain, he peeks in and sees the dark-skinned boy sitting in the bed.

 He’s not asleep, and he has a distant look on his face. Keith hadn’t planned on speaking to the patient, so he squints and watches him a little longer. He doesn’t really move, but his knees are drawn up and his chin is resting on his forearms. He looks so out of place and frankly, scared, that Keith can’t help but feel a pang of sympathy.

Keith coughs, involuntarily, and that catches the patient’s attention because his eyes go wide and his gaze flicks up towards the curtain. Keith thinks he’s just about seen a ghost and decided he shouldn’t torture him with that paranoia all night and slides the curtain open, revealing himself.

The patient’s eyes slowly turn less panicked as they light up at the sight of Keith and Keith smiles slightly in return, tucking one hand into his jacket pocket.

 

 _Lance._ The name comes rushing back to him and he holds the smile, walking more into the room.

“You’re still here?” The voice is raspy and groggy and Keith guesses Lance hasn’t had any sleep since they separated earlier.

 _Oh._ He barely remembered rushing out on the poor guy until now. That must’ve been confusing for him.

“Yeah, I’m still here. Was on my way home actually.” There’s silence after he answers and then he notices exactly how dark the lines under Lance’s eyes are,”You haven’t slept a wink, have you?”

Lance seems to deflate, as if he’s being scolded, and turns his face away from Keith,”I-I don’t really sleep well in such a different environment? It’s just...too unfamiliar, I-”

“Naw, naw, I get it.” Keith waves him off, preventing him from whatever excuse he was going to make,”I expected as much, if I’m honest. You’re going to need to get out of that habit though. Soon.” He kicks back on his heels, staring Lance down,”I can’t work with a patient that’s gonna be falling asleep on me at random intervals of the day.”

Lance scrunches up his nose, but then something dawns on him,”Wait...what do you mean by _you?”_

Keith blinks and stretches one arm over his head, walking over to inspect the fluffiness of Lance’s pillows,”I’m on Lance-duty.” He smiles at his own joke and Lance snorts a bit, slowly becoming more comfortable. Keith figures it’s the added presence to the room.

“Lance-duty? That’s a position around here now?”

Keith rolls his eyes good-naturedly and gestures for him to sit up so he can inspect the pillows more closely,”Well, it’s my position. I’m gonna be the one supervising your transition, surprise, surprise.” Keith squints at his work before stepping back,”Get used to having me around.”

“Oh, I think I will.” Lance smirks but immediately his eyes widen and he coughs into his hand,”I mean, yeah. Okay.”

Keith raises an eyebrow but doesn’t comment on it. “If you’re really having trouble sleeping, I can get some sleeping pills for you.” Keith crosses his arms and leans against the wall, one eyebrow quirked.

Lance seems to consider the option before shaking his head,”No, it’s okay. I’ll be fine.” He looks really, really out of his element and the way he clutches the blankets is sort of like a cling for comfort. Keith feels that twinge of sympathy again and sighs, sliding off his bag and beginning to shrug off the jacket.

“Weren’t you just leaving?” Lance glances between Keith’s bag and him as the mullet man takes a seat across from the bed, in the same wheely chair as last time.

Keith shrugs,”I’ll stay until you fall asleep.”

Lance scoffs,”That’s-dude, it’s like, almost _three in the morning_. You’ve got a job to do, all I’m gonna do is…” He trails off with a shrug and droopy eyelids,”lay here.”

Keith snorts and crosses his arms over his chest, bracing one leg on top of the opposing knee as he leans back,”Who says I’m staying awake.”

Lance studies him momentarily before finally leaning back against the surprisingly fluffier pillows and letting out a huff.

They stay like that for a while, accompanied only by the sound of the machines and the click of heels as nurses walk down the hallways. After a lot of time has passed, and Lance is almost sure Keith is passed out in the chair, he turns his head slightly.

To his chagrin, Keith is not asleep. He’s looking at Lance with half-lidded eyes, dark from lack of sleep, and a distant glint to his expression. He isn’t _really_ looking at Lance, rather past him. The scowl is permanent across his face and his posture is slumped and tense at the same time.

“Ke-um, Keith.” He stumbled over whether or not to address him by name.

The nurse in question hums in response.

Lance sucks in a breath,”I’m gonna be okay...right?”

There’s a pause, one where Lance wonders if Keith is ignoring him or simply too out of it to have heard at all, but then a sharp intake of breath reaches his ears.

“You’re fine. Go to sleep, Lance.”

The words aren’t harsh but Lance takes them as final and doesn’t push it, knowing Keith is way more exhausted than he is. He leans back against the pillow and wonders how long it will take for him to drift off, and if Keith will stay there all night. He isn’t given proper time to adjust to these thoughts, however, as the gentle rhythm of machines beside him make it harder for him to keep his eyes open and he begins to drift off into a sort of hazy sleep. At least the sound of gentle breathing adjacent him makes the switch from wide awake to slow relaxation that much more peaceful.


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Your pancreas is pretty much going-” Keith raises his hand and makes an upside down thumbs up,”waaaay to shit.”
> 
> Lance blinks at him,”Thanks for the heads up, I guess.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;3 Enjoy this chapter filled with information on Type 1 Diabetes. I died fact checking this. My beta is a blessing. <3

When Lance woke up, he was alone.

His pillows were still extra fluffy, but the wheely chair next to the bed was vacant of any warm bodies and Lance felt mildly disappointed. Blinking away the sleep from his eyes, he tried to recollect the events of the evening prior, piecing everything together like one giant jigsaw puzzle. It wasn’t a hard task, but the frown on his face deepened as the memories came rushing back to meet him and he leaned back against the pillows.

He’d been diagnosed as Type 1 Diabetic.

As if on cue, a woman entered the small area, sweeping aside the curtain and smiling at Lance. “How are we today, Mr. Valentín?” Lance is faced with another disappointment as he realizes it’s not Keith greeting him, but he plays along anyways. “I’m doing okay.”

“Good.” Her voice is high-pitched, but not annoyingly so and her scrubs are not as vibrantly decorated as the others he’d seen. She has her hair clipped back behind her, some of it falling over her shoulders and her nails are painted an acrylic red. “My name is Carol.” She introduces herself, showing a much different quality than Keith had,”I’m going to check your bg this morning.”

Lance instantly shies away, eyebrows drawing together and lips pursed,”I have to get stabbed again?” She chuckles but tries to offer a comforting smile,”Unfortunately. We’re just trying to monitor you and make sure you stay in the safe range.” She turns back to a tray set up on the other end of the room,”Once you’re released, you’re going to have to take it yourself.”

“Wait, the stabbing thing is gonna keep happening?” Lance is almost hysterical now, going slightly pale. She bites her lip as if that was a secret she wasn’t supposed to say out loud,”Don’t freak out too much, it gets easier with time, trust me.” Her smile is genuine but Lance is far from relaxed. He shifts uneasily in the bed, gripping at the sheets and trying to keep his eyes drawn away from whatever Carol was messing with. Lance, for one, is not a fan of being stabbed.

“Have you called your family yet?” She attempts conversation but Lance notes that it isn’t as comfortable as when Keith talks.

“Yeah, a nurse came by last night and let me make some calls before I changed.” He glances vaguely at the patient scrubs.

“Is anyone going to be visiting you today?” She sounds at least mildly interested.

“I’m not sure.” And it was true. He hadn’t exactly been happy when making those calls. First, he called Hunk. His roommate had been worried sick that Lance hadn’t come home yet and he’d spent a full twenty minutes reassuring his friend. Then, he’d called Pidge, who graced him with mild concern. He’d been hesitant to call his Mamá, but eventually he caved and dialed her number. She’d been in hysterics when he told her why he was there, but it soon subsided to mild motherly worry. His family was too far away to visit, and he wasn’t sure if Hunk and Pidge would come. He shrugs again.

The nurse nods, not looking at him as she is still turned around,”Well, if you’re lonely, we’ve got some pretty friendly faces on staff.”

Lance snorts, making Carol raise an eyebrow suspiciously. He coughs into his hand to cover it up and she smirks at him.

“I’m guessing you’ve already met one?”

“If you count some nurse that looks like he’s spent his whole life on the Drop Tower.”

Carol snorts loudly and almost doubles over laughing,”K-Keith? It was Keith, wasn’t it?” Her laugh is drawn out and squeaky, darn right raunchy, as she wheels around to look at him with a broad grin.

“Yeah, How’d you know?” Lance can’t help but grin at the easygoing assistant.

She leans back against the cart-like table she’d previously been messing with and shakes her head good-naturedly,”Couldn’t have been anyone else. He has an image, don’t ya think?”

“Very much so.” Lance sighs exasperatedly,”Does he ever sleep?”

Her attitude shifts slightly but her smile stays in place,”No.” Carol turns back to the tray,”I don’t think he does.”

Lance blinks, confused,”He looks like he takes his job too seriously.”

He must have crossed some invisible threshold because the smile she shoots him is slightly venomous. It doesn’t reach her eyes, however, and Lance relaxes a bit.

“There’s never a moment where he takes his job too seriously. He’s like that because he has to be.” She turns around to fully face him now, eyes searching his. Lance gulps but then she sighs and offers a mild grin,”He’s stressed out twenty-four seven. Being the Head Nurse isn’t all fun and games after all.”

 _Head Nurse?_ Lance furrows his brows, looking at Carol quizzically. She seems to understand and turns back to her work,”He’s in charge of the nursing staff here. Everything they do, he’s responsible for.” Carol turns her head slightly to flash him a look,”It’s not really easy, ya know.”

Lance nods although she’s not looking at him and feels mildly guilty for assuming things.

“Well, High Bg, let’s take your blood.” She starts for him and Lance groans.

“Is that like, my nickname around here?”

“Yup.” She pops the p and giggles lightly, approaching him with a similar square from when Keith took his blood. He secretly wishes for the nurse to be doing it instead.

“Relax.”

He tries.

 

* * *

 

Keith had slipped out of Lance’s room at the first sign of even breathing, heading towards one of the break areas instead. It wasn’t like he’d had anything important to tend to at home so it didn’t bother him much, but the beds weren’t quite as cozy at the hospital. He silently reminds himself to bring his own pillows next time, or steal some from the storage room.

He’s fiddling with his coffee cup, standing by the counter in the cafeteria and going over the files of patients on the clipboard before him. His trusty board has been with him through every promotion to date, and he thanks the clipboard deity for making it so sturdy.

 

_Name: Joshua McNamara_

_Diagnosis: Torn Ligament_

_Treatment: Rest; possible surgery if no improvement shows_

 

Keith glances at the information before going to the next patient’s files.

 

_Name: David Hamill_

_Diagnosis: Overdose; Over the Counter Oxycodone_

_Treatment: Narcan; rest_

 

Keith grimaces and flips the page.

 

_Name: Lance Valentín_

_Diagnosis: Type 1 Diabetes_

_Treatment: physical therapy; insulin; continued visits as necessary_

 

This caught Keith’s attention, as he would be spending a lot of his time with the specific patient. He let himself absorb the rest of the information in his files- blood type, eye color, weight, height, allergies. He bit his lip and set the clipboard back onto the counter, bringing the still steaming cup of coffee to his lips.

It wouldn’t be that bad, working with Lance. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, necessarily, it was that he wasn’t used to it. It felt a bit like a demotion and that made Keith grind his teeth subconsciously. Being Head Nurse, he didn’t often spend too much time with one individual patient; that’s what his staff was for. He was just in charge of maintaining that staff. But apparently he’d been pushing himself too much and Dr.Altea (along with Shiro…) thought it was a good idea that he be...demoted.

She’d assured him that he wasn’t getting replaced, and the position was still his, but he just needed to step away for a while. Take some time to breathe and get readjusted to the other parts of the hospital. It was different, Keith had to admit. By this time in the morning, Keith was used to the sound of ambulances and screaming. He was used to blood on his hands and adrenaline in his veins.

What he was not used to, however, was standing in the quiet of the cafeteria and reading through a list of minimally injured patients. He felt that it was too soft for him and almost yearned to be back in the frenzy of chaos that was the emergency unit.

Despite this, he remained in the cafeteria clutching the quickly cooling cup of coffee. Keith sighed and picked up his clipboard, deciding he’s lingered too long, and headed towards the double doors.

As he exited, he was met with the cheery smile of one of his peers.

“Hi, Carol.” His voice was sort of monotone, but not unwelcoming.

The doctor’s assistant smiled wider in turn and followed him as he walked. She kept her hands tucked behind her back and her hair flopped out behind her in a sloppy ponytail that Keith guesses she tied up only seconds earlier. Her lips are red with lipstick and her freckles peek through the foundation on her face. Makeup does nothing to diminish nor enhance her natural beauty and Keith often finds himself complimenting her either way.

 

“Keith! Did you sleep last night?” Her voice is teasing and he narrows his eyes, sighing.

“Yes, I slept.”

“Liar.” She snorts and speeds up to keep pace with him. He rolls his eyes at her, ”Are we really doing this?” She shakes her head and keeps walking and Keith finally lets himself relax his shoulders.

They walk together, as Carol seems to always be assigned to whatever wing Keith is currently in, and wind their way towards their current placement. As they make their way, Keith remembers something.

“How’s my patient?”

“Oh, he’s _your_ patient now?”

Keith’s eyes narrow as he fights back the embarrassment following the implication of her words and walks a little faster,”You know what I mean.”

She nods and her smile is visible through her pursed lips,”I took his blood this morning. It’s lower, but it’s not stabilizing without assistance. I gave him some insulin to even it out and that seems to be doing the trick, but he’s definitely teetering on the edge.”

Keith nods, taking in her words and analysing them. They round another corner and almost run straight into a band of doctors before shifting closer to the hallways far wall and continuing with sure strides. Keith takes a long drink off his coffee and shifts the clipboard in the crook of his elbow so it is more easily resting against him and increases his pace. Carol clears her throat and jogs to catch up to him,”I’m thinking he’ll be good in about a week, however. He’s in good shape and it shouldn’t be too hard to teach him about everything. He’s got a fear of needles, though, and that might be harder to work around.”

Keith slows his steps before coming to a halt, eyebrows drawn together and a faraway look on his face.

“Keith?” Carol stops a little in front of him and lists her head to the side,”What’s wrong?”

“Did you do it right?” His voice is minorly concerned.

“Do what?”

“Did you take his blood right? You gotta distract him so he doesn’t think about it, if you don’t he’ll only get stressed out and freak-”

“I mean, I-I didn’t do it the _wrong_ way.” She wrings her hands, a sort of scolded look on her face,”But then again, you’re the best.”

He narrows his eyes and shakes his head,”You can’t just be straightforward with patients that are nervous around needles, you gotta sneak into it, make them think it’s nothing.”

“But you’d already taken his blood and he knows it hurts now, so that wouldn’t have help-”

“Whatever.” Keith sighs and starts walking again,”I’ll do it myself next time.”

Carol clenches her teeth as she moves to walk beside him again, but doesn’t say anything. Keith _knows_ he’s being particular about it, but he doesn’t take his job lightly. He has a system for needle-nervous patients and he hates that his staff has such a hard time adhering to it. Mostly though, the frightened look he imagined on Lance’s face made him feel bad for not doing it himself.

The pair take a sharp turn around another corner and walk down the hallway towards the entrance of the east wing. There are nurses and doctors walking in and out of rooms and hallways, passing by Keith and Carol without a second glance. Keith rolls his eyes, not really concerned with anyone that isn’t part of his direct staff. He makes his way down the line of curtains and towards the end of the hall where he remembers exactly which one Lance is behind. Pulling back the curtain roughly and without notice of his entrance, he walks into the slightly brighter lit area.

 

Lance looks bored, sitting in the bed and fiddling with his finger. There are two band-aids on his hand now- one on the index and one on the middle finger. Keith frowns down at Carol and she smiles guiltily up at him. Sighing, Keith walks past the bed and sets his clipboard and coffee down on the cart-like table that Carol had been using earlier that morning.

“How are you doing today, Lance?”

The guy sucks in a breath and lets it out sharply, turning his head to look at the outline of Keith’s shoulders,”If I say I’m doing good, will you let me leave?”

Keith snorts but it lacks much humor,”Sorry, Lance, but we’re stuck with you.” He turns to face him then, the smile he reserves for patients present on his face,”Do you feel sick?”

Lance pauses a moment before tentatively shaking his head.

“That’s good.” Keith turns back to his clipboard.

There’s a long moment before Keith looks up and gestures with his head towards Carol, still standing half-way in the hall. “You can go now, Carol.” She pouts at his words but turns to leave,”I’ll be with Dr. Shirogane if you need me.” Keith tenses but nods,”Thanks.”

The silence is even more deafening now that it’s only the two of them, but Keith doesn’t seem to mind and so Lance doesn’t say anything. The nurse reads over Lance’s files one more time before turning to him finally.

“Your pancreas is pretty much going-” Keith raises his hand and makes an upside down thumbs up,”waaaay to shit.”

Lance blinks at him,”Thanks for the heads up, I guess.”

“Anytime.” Keith is reverting back to his joking self and Lance smiles a little at that.

“So, what exactly is going to happen?” Lance inquires, listing his head slightly,”You mentioned physical therapy?”

Keith gives him a comforting grin,”Don’t worry, we’ve got everything figured out. We’ll check your ketones over the next few days and once you’re doing good, we’ll introduce the physical therapy. I’ll show you how to check your blood sugar and take insulin on your own too.” Keith is flitting over the paperwork again, his eyes focused in on the words in front of him.

Lance nods, although he’s not sure exactly what all that meant,”Um, what are ketones?”

Keith seems to realize that needs an explanation and turns around all the way to face him, pen in hand and tapping it against his chin,”Ketone bodies are molecules that are produced by the liver from fatty acids during periods of low food intake, carbohydrate restrictive diets, starvation, prolonged intense exercise, or in untreated Type 1 Diabetes.”

Lance blinks at him with a blank face,”They’re what.”

Keith chuckles,”To put it in layman’s terms- they’re bad. We won’t be able to introduce you to physical therapy until your bloodstream is free of them.”

Lance seems to understand a little more this time and nods,”Okay, cool.”

Keith taps the pen against his chin still and studies him, seeming to remember something,”Where do you work? Did they let you make any calls?”

Lance’s eyes widen,”Holy _shit_ !” His hands go up to rub his temples,”I called everyone but _that!_ My boss is gonna be so pissed, what the hell do I tell him-”

“Calm down.” Keith sounds exasperated, like this happens a lot,”Your phone’s in storage with all of your other things, so I’m gonna let the front desk call your work for you. Do you know the name and number of the business?”

Lance seems to let his panic slip away and nods,”Uh, I work at a video game store. Remote Controlled. The one on First Street? You know the one?”

Keith snorts and a grin breaks through. He tries to cover it with the clipboard,”Oh my Jesus, dude, I should have guessed you work someplace like that.” His snorts are now cackles and Lance is turning red.

“Excuse me, RC is _awesome_.”

“No, no, it’s g-grea-” Keith leans back against the cart and bursts into a bundle of chuffing and cackling,"I actually really like that store." He starts to regain his composure. 

“You should!” Lance pouts slightly, squinting. 

Keith tries to calm his raucous laughter and takes a few deep breaths,”Okay, okay, I’m sorry.” He seems almost fully composed again and Lance starts to relax, but then the grin is back and he’s snorting through tightly pursed lips. 

 Keith takes in a huge gulp of air and lets his body relax,”I just got the _haunting_ image of you manning the front counter, that’s all.” He waved Lance off and smiled,"I should have known you'd work someplace like that. It suits you." 

“Haunting?” Lance is scoffing at him now. Keith shakes his head, smirk still firmly in place, and stands up straight again,”It’s okay, I go there all the time anyways. It’s a good store.”

Lance squints at the nurse who just broke down laughing in front of him merely two seconds ago and lets out a huff of discontent,”I know it’s a good store. _I work there._ ” Keith holds his hands up in defeat and nods,”You win. I’ll let the front desk know to call them. I don’t need the number since it’s a listed one.”

Lance sighs and sinks back into the mattress, not sure how much more he can take.

Keith turns around and picks up his clipboard, shuffling the papers,”I’ll be right back.”

 

* * *

 

It isn’t long until Keith returns and he sends Lance off with a small cup to pee in, making sure to point him in the direction of the nearest bathroom. He’d smirked as Lance walked away and Lance couldn’t help but mutter profanities to himself at the smug nurse.

He’d had trouble peeing, but he’d eventually done the task and set it inside of the cabinet-like enclosure present inside of the bathroom, walking out and making his way back to the curtained area. Keith is waiting for him, it seems, leaning against the opposing wall and chatting it up with a passing nurse. She looks flustered, one hand curling in a loose strand of hair and the other gripping the clipboard at her side (did they all have clipboards?). One knee is bent slightly as she sways on her heels, smiling and batting her eyelashes. Lance glances at Keith, trying to weigh his reaction, but finds that he isn’t taking notice of her flirtatious body posture. He also notices for the first time, exactly how attractive he is.

Keith, his hair usually tied back and away from his face, is letting it fall freely down his neck now. Lance takes note of how soft it is, and how it might feel to run his fingers through the locks. Keith is smiling, comfortable with the nurse and seeming to enjoy whatever topic they’re discussing. He starts laughing at some point, one hand coming up to hide his grin and a few snorts making their way past his lips. He looks at ease, nothing like the way he’d been when that alarm went off the night before. Lance can’t help but smile at the scene, voice catching in his throat.  

Then the nurse leans in and wraps her hands around Keith’s, bringing them away from his face. Keith’s face takes a turn of unease and he eyes the nurse as she whispers something to him. Lance can’t hear much from where he’s standing and there are a few moments where Keith looks tense. Eventually, he pulls away from the nurse, making her hold on his hands release and standing straighter than he was. She has a somewhat rejected look on her face as he speaks to her, more like his usual self now, and she nods. Her shoulders slump but she smiles and starts to walk away from him. Keith’s gaze follows her, and when she finally turns around a corner, he lets out an exhausted sigh.

Lance takes this chance to walk up to him,”What was that?”

Keith had had his eyes closed, one palm against his face, and therefore hadn’t noticed Lance’s approach. He starts for a moment, but then relaxes,”Oh. Just- office talk.” He shrugs, but his lips are pressed into a thin line.

Lance snorts,”Bro, that looked like more than just _office talk_.” He looks at Keith incredulously, one eyebrow raised and a “really?” look on his face. Keith eyes him and scoffs.

“We were just talking.”

“Keith, she was _all_ up in your space,” Lance waves his hands around in a gesture of what was supposed to be personal space,”and obviously flirting with you.”

Keith narrows his eyes and his pursed lips draw together more,”No, she-” Lance continues to give him the look and Keith finally caves, sighing,”It happens a lot. I know how to handle it.”

“You mean, you get flirted with a lot?” Lance confirms, crossing his arms over his chest.

Keith blinks momentarily before shrugging,”Yeah.”

Lance grits his teeth, not exactly knowing why he’s so irked. He shouldn’t be, there’s no reason to be,”Oh.”

Keith shrugs again, lifting his clipboard,”It’s whatever. I’m not interested in them anyways.” The way he mutters it to himself, looking over the papers with lack of appeal, sparks Lance’s interest.

 _Not interested? In what exactly?_ Lance doesn’t have time to think it over, because Keith is pushing him back towards the curtained area, his hand resting on the small of his back. Lance feels fire where Keith’s fingers touch him, despite the urge to feign indifference.

 

* * *

 

The next few days go by quickly and Lance barely remembers them. He doesn’t get a lot of up time, as he’s mostly confined to the bed, being told not to move around too much. He doesn’t eat much either, being restricted from that as well.

Keith comes in every morning, taking his blood and checking him for ketones. He hasn’t seen much of Carol since that first day and Lance wonders if Keith is keeping her away on purpose.

On the third day, Keith tells Lance that he is free of ketones.

 

“You’ll be exercising here.” Keith waves his hand absently around the room. There was equipment in every corner, but it was still spacious in a way that made the room feel too big; too empty.

“So, it’s like a gym?” Lance comments, eyes scanning every wall. His hands are wrapped firmly around his wrists as he wrings them behind his back. Keith nods, shrugging with raised eyebrows and an indifferent expression,”You could say that, yeah.”

“Cool.” Lance smiles, a spark of indignation in his eyes. Keith catches it and narrows his own,”I’ll be monitoring you, so don’t even think about whatever it is you’re thinking about.”

Lance looks mildly offended, clutching at his heart,”What _are_ _you_ talking about?”

Keith clicks his tongue and rolls his eyes, but doesn’t say anything more on the matter, walking over to where there’s a treadmill setup,”You’ll start off over here. You won’t need as much exercise time as some of the other patients, but you still need it. Don’t slack.” His voice isn’t as gentle as it was during their first encounter, but it’s still welcoming and Lance finds himself smirking at the nurse.

It’s been about five days since he’s been in the hospital- more or less, Lance resigns- and in that time frame he’s grown attached to his nurse. Keith made a habit of staying late until Lance fell asleep, telling him “can’t have you passing out on me”. Lance could see the toll it took on him, however, and tried to fall asleep quickly since then.

He’d had a lot of hours where there wasn’t anything to do but sit in a hospital bed, staring at a television on the wall. He’d been moved to a real room, one with walls and a door.

 

_“Wow, looks nice. My own private room.” Lance had smirked and Keith had rolled his eyes, closing the door behind them._

_“It’s an upgrade up from that dumb curtain.” Keith smiles at him, genuine, as he leans against the door, hands crossed over his chest. The look he gives Lance makes his skin heat up involuntarily and he’s suddenly unable to hold the nurse’s gaze._

_“Yeah.”_

 

“Hey.”

A hand is placed on his lower back and Lance sucks in a breath, turning to blink at Keith. The nurse is staring at him with scrunched up eyebrows,”You listening to me?”

They’re in a separate room now, one with medical equipment and different instruments made out of chrome. It smells like disinfectant and makes Lance scrunch up his nose at the stinging scents. He nods, moving away from the touch,”Yeah, totally.”

Keith rolls his eyes and lowers his hand back to his side,”Good. So you’re ready?”

Lance blinks. He must have missed something,”Ready…?”

The nurse groans and runs a hand down his face,”I _knew_ you weren’t listening!”

“No, no, I was. Totally. Just, um, could you explain it again? Just so I’m sure I got everything.” Lance knows his lie is see-through but the playful glint in Keith’s eyes is enough to make him smile.

The nurse stalks over to a counter area, reaching out to grab a box of gloves,”I’m going to show you how to take your blood,” He pulls a pair out and starts to slip them on, the slap of the rubber against his wrists resounding throughout the room,”and how to give yourself insulin. You’ll also need to learn about managing your diet, along with everything else.”

Lance whines slightly,”I don’t wanna do the stabbing thing.”

Keith turns around with a gentle look,”I know you’re afraid of needles, Lance. It's okay, a lot of people are.”

“I-I’m no-” Lance starts to defend himself, but just sighs deeply and clutches at his arms,”I don’t like them, okay.”

“I know. It’s okay.” Keith walks towards him again, medical gloves standing out against his otherwise pale skin. He reaches out to touch Lance’s arm, offering a smile,”I’ll show you how to do it where it’s way less painful, okay? You’ll be fine.”

“Why do I have to stab myself, though? That’s like, the least thing I wanna do.” Lance’s eyes show that he is deeply unsettled by the task he will have to perform daily. Keith gives his arm a squeeze, something Shiro often did. He moved his hand up to pat Lance’s shoulder,”You have to take your blood, Lance. If you don’t properly monitor your blood glucose, you could fall within a dangerous range and not even know it. And if that happens, you’ll be in serious trouble and be right back here with me.” Keith gives Lance a stern look, as if to try and scold him.

Lance snorts, however, and smiles,”That might not be so bad.”

There’s a silence, one where Keith is trying to decipher whatever Lance meant by that, and Lance internally regrets the words.

“Lance, no, that’s-no, what?” Keith takes a step back, completely missing what Lance was saying,”No, the whole point is to _not_ end up back in the hospital. Oh my Jesus, Lance.” He runs his hands through the dark locks of his bangs.

Lance is blushing furiously now, one hand smashed against his face to hide it,”Keith, no. Oh my God. That’s-” He takes a sharp breath,”that’s not...that’s not what I meant.”

Keith blinks,”What.”

Lance sneaks a peek at the oblivious nurse and his blush escalates to fever-temp,”Nothing…” He eventually mutters.

Keith narrows his eyes momentarily, but shakes his head and stalks back over to the counter,”Now, let’s try this.”

“Keith, no, please don’t make me.” Lance whines loudly, careening against the wall and sliding down.

“Lance, stop.” Keith scolds, not even turning to look at him.

“Nooooooo, you can’t maaaaake meeeee.”

“Lance, for the love of-”

“Nooo no no noooo-”

“Lance!” Keith turns around, an annoyed expression playing on his face,”Would you stop?!”

“No.” He pouts, sliding down onto his back.

“Dude, get off the floor!” Keith gestures towards where Lance is splayed out like a snow angel.

“No.”

“ _Lance._ ”

“ _Keith._ ”

Keith scoffs, crossing his arms over his chest and jutting out one hip,”Excuse me?”

“ _Excuse me.”_

“Lance, stop acting like a baby!”

“No.” Lance is still lying on his back, face the epitome of a childish pout.

“Lance, I swear to God, I will come over there and _drag you up.”_

“I’m never moving from this spot.”

“Lance, _please. I’m begging you.”_ Keith leans back against the counter, dragging his hands down his face,”Oh my fuck, why are you so difficult? I swear, I’ve never had a patient like you.”

“Is that a compliment?” Lance turns his head slightly, smirking.

Keith glares at him then,”No.” He starts to stalk forward, wringing his hands,”Lance. I’m giving you one more chance to comply on your own.”

“No can do.”

“Fine.” Keith shrugs, crossing his arms over his chest.

 

Neither of them move for the longest time, both seeming to size each other up. The sound of monitors buzzing and the A/C overhead is the only noise filling the all but quiet room and it adds to the faulty tension.

Keith waits for a moment, tapping his foot. Then he swings his arms back to his sides and starts walking swiftly towards Lance. Lance, in turn, screeches and moves to get up.

But no, Keith is on him in the blink of an eye, grabbing him by his armpits and lifting him up.

“Holy shit dude-” Is all Lance gets out as he is forcibly drug towards a chair on the opposite side of the room. “You’re strong.”

“I know. I was in the emergency unit.” Keith grunts out as he drags Lance, who is now limp in the nurse’s arms.

“Oh, I just thought you worked out or something.”

“No, why would I.” Keith breathes out a puff of air, dropping Lance in the chair with a huff. Lance slumps in the seat and continues to pout.

“ _Now.”_ Keith is somewhat out of breath, eyebrows drawn together and a frustrated look on his face,” _Let’s take your damn blood.”_

“Not with that attitude.” Lance murmurs and Keith shoots him a glare as he rounds to the other side of the table.

“I’m not going to freaking stab you, Lance. It’s a prick. It’s very quick, and trust me, I’m good at it.” Keith’s frustration is starting to melt as he takes a seat in a wheely chair and pulls himself up beside Lance. Lance isn’t convinced, and eyes him carefully, hands tucked into his lap.

Keith is continuing to set up the instruments, catching and evening out his breath now. When he seems satisfied with his work, Keith closes his eyes and breathes. He opens them again and focuses his gaze on Lance, making him squirm under the intensity.

“Listen, Lance.” His voice is soft, raspy in the way it always was,”I’m gonna be gentle, okay? You’ll be fine.” He says the words, reaching out to grasp one of Lance’s hands. The man in question narrows his eyes, but allows Keith to place said hand on the table. Keith gives it a reassuring squeeze and begins the lesson.

 

“This,” Keith holds up an instrument,”Is a lancet.” He is going over all of the different items he’s set up on the tray, looking up every now and then to make sure Lance is paying attention.

Lance, in his own right, is speculating incredulously.

Lance snorts,” _Lancet._ ”

“Yes, Lance.” Keith rolls his eyes, but smiles anyways,”A lancet.”

He then shows Lance how to place it in the lancing device, placing his fingers where they should be. Lance tries not to notice how even through the gloves, his hands are warm.

 

“Now this is the hard part.” Keith smiles at him softly, taking Lance’s hand and selecting a finger.

“Noooo-” Lance tries to retract his hand but Keith grips it firmly. He pouts and relaxes his hand again.

Keith pats his hand and reaches over to pick up a small packet. He unwraps it and uses the wipe inside to sterilize the finger he’d selected. When he’s done, he picks up the lancing device again,”I’m gonna let you in on a little secret.” He hums as he moves to hold onto Lance’s finger, bringing the lancing device to the pad,”Now, you don’t want to prick yourself here.” He moves the device to the side,”It’ll hurt less if you do it here, there’s less nerves.” Keith places the device in Lance’s empty hand, wrapping his own hand around his and guiding it back to his finger,”You try it.”

Lance is all too focused on Keith’s hands around his own and tries to avert his attention to the task at hand,”Okay.”

He barely moves his hand on his own, but instead lets Keith prompt him into pressing the lancet to his finger. The prick is swift, and as Keith assured, less painful than he thought and remembered. Lance let out a breath of relief.

Keith chuckles and releases his hands, setting the lancing device aside and picking up the blood monitor,”Here.” He grips Lance’s finger once again and presses the monitor’s strip to the blood.

The monitor ended up showing that Lance was not in a good range. Keith showed him the screen and smiled,”Let’s give you some insulin, High Bg.”

“I hate you for making that my nickname.”

Keith shrugs and shoots him a grin, moving to get the required instruments. Lance can’t help but smile too.

* * *

 

The few days that pass by after that are quick and Lance feels somewhat disappointed at the end of them. He was getting released tomorrow. Keith had smiled at him, delivered the news, given him a friendly clap on the shoulder. Lance had smiled in return, but it was only half real. He’d hate to say it, but he’d grown used to the bickering and warm smiles. He’d grown used to Carol and her snarky comments whenever he saw her. He’d even grown used to seeing Dr.Shirogane every once and awhile. He’d grown used to the hospital bed.

It wasn’t like he _wanted_ to stay there, and it had only been about a week, but there was still _something._ Lance didn’t know what it was.

He pulls his legs up against his chest, tucking his chin onto his knees.

“Whatchya thinkin’ about?” The slurred and all too tired voice of Keith drifts over to him. Lance sighs, remembering the form poised in the wheely chair beside him.

“Nothing, really.” Lance shot him a glance, not moving from his position. Keith raises an eyebrow, his arms crossed over his chest and his legs spread far apart as he slouches in the chair.

“You’re lying.”

“No I’m not.” Lance half-whines.

“Yes. Yes, you are.” Keith reaches up to rub at one eye, yawning,”I can tell when you’re lying.”

“ _Tch_. No you can’t??” Lance gets defensive, eyes narrowing and hands tightening around his legs. Keith opens the eye he’d been rubbing and gives him a look,”You’re doing it right now.”

“What?”

“That thing you do when you’re lying,” He waves his hand absently, eyes drooping,”Your voice raises in pitch.”

“No??” Lance retorts but then scoffs and buries his head into his knees,”Whatever.”

Keith snorts.

There’s silence for a while before Lance hears the sound of Keith leaning forward in his chair,”Well, whatever it is,” His voice is laced with exhaustion, but there’s something else there. Lance wracks his brain, but he can’t place it. “Whatever it is, if you wanna talk about it. I’m here. For tonight, at least.”

That makes Lance’s heart plummet further and he leans back against the extra fluffy pillows, turning to face away from the tired nurse,”I’m fine.”

There’s another long pause before a sigh breaks through, along with a muttered,”Okay.” Lance can hear him leaning back against the chair again and shuffling to get comfortable. He closes his eyes and wills sleep to come. “Goodnight, Lance.” The tired voice finds his ears again. He blocks out every sound except for those words.


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Lence.” The gruff, but vibrant voice called out and Lance raised an eyebrow. Dave was sitting on the front counter, as he often did when there weren’t any customers.
> 
> “Deve?” Lance smirked, turning a page in his gaming magazine.
> 
> “Lonce, tell me.” Dave tapped his chin,”On that shelf over there? Is the Mario Kart...placed next to the Legend of Zelda...perhaps?”
> 
> Lance had warning sirens going off in his head now,” Dave, no. ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a shorter one because I focused more on building a deeper world setting? I hope you like it anyways!

“Alright, we’re gonna give you a prescription,” The doctor’s assistant told him as she scribbled something,”And you should be all set.” Her smile is light and Lance nods at her words.

He let out a slow breath, trying to think about anything other than the pounding in his chest and the pit in his stomach.

Keith stands to the side, watching him, gloved hands curled around his forearms as he melts into a relaxed posture. His eyes are resting on Lance, making him quickly lose focus on the assistant’s words. He grips his own arms and tries to will away thoughts of the nurse’s eyes staring into his own.

“Alright, Mr.McClain,” The assistant, some woman with bright red hair and pale skin, remarks to him,”We’re all set here.” She shuffles some papers, smiles at him, eyes crinkling. Lance presses his mouth into a firm line, but nods. He’s ready.

“Good. I’ll leave you with Mr.Kogane to finish up.” She sends a glance towards the nurse, who quickly nods at her, and turns to leave. Her presence is soon forgotten as Keith approaches Lance, patting his back softly.

“You good?” The nurse lists his head slightly, voice approachable.

Lance nods, his leg bouncing up and down as he sits,”I’m good.”

Keith studies his face a little while longer before nodding and turning back towards the paperwork left on the counter,”You’re all set to be discharged. I’m sure you’re happy to be out of here.”

There was a smile in Keith’s tone that made Lance deflate and he wanted desperately to be able to psych himself up for the ride home. Was he happy? Hell yeah he was. Lance was sick and tired of eating hospital food and getting his fingers pricked and lying in bed. He was not excited for the daily routine he’d have to acquire from now on. He was also not very happy about the fact that he wouldn’t see Keith anymore.

“Yeah, it’ll be nice to be back home.” He replied instead, smirking at the nurse’s back.

“Good.” Keith smiled and turned back to him, leaning against the back table,”I’m sure it will.”

Lance had gathered his things, had his paperwork handed to him, and been ushered around the hallways of the hospital all that morning and now he was finally walking towards the entrance. He felt weird, kind of. Leaving the hospital.

“You all good, Lance?” The voice behind him made his breath catch in his lungs and he coughed, turning. Keith was giving him a small smile, sleeves rolled up, stethoscope lying loose on his shoulders. The disgruntled, shadowy look of his face had dimmed somewhat, and Lance guessed he’d gotten some sleep.

“I’m good.” Lance smiled, rubbing the back of his head,”Thanks for everything.”

He didn’t know what else to say.

Keith shrugged and offered him a peace sign, waving it out in an arch and then stuffing his hand back in his scrub pockets,”See ya, High Bg.”

For once Lance found the name endearing.

* * *

 

Hunk was waiting for him, hands in his pockets, by his parked car. Lance breathed out as he walked towards him with his bag of things held in one hand and shuffling for his phone with the other. It was in the bag somewhere, he’d remembered putting it there.

When Hunk spotted him, he grinned widely and twirled his keys, pressing a button to unlock the doors with a soft _beep beep_. The sound made Lance remember the all-consuming noise of heart monitors and machines and he felt almost a bit nostalgic for the Hospital he’d be leaving in a few moments.

 

“Bro!” Hunk’s smile was bright and it prompted Lance to return it, his spirits a bit lifted by his friend’s peppy demeanor. He smirked and walked the rest of the way towards Hunk, bumping foreheads with him since his arms were full.

“Hey, Hunkamunka. Miss me while I was under _surveillance_?” Lance’s smirk widened as Hunk rolled his eyes and he chuckled. The confusing thoughts plaguing his mind prior were immediately erased.

“Dude, it was just like, what was it- a week?” Hunk glanced at him for confirmation before continuing,”a week in urgent care, that’s-that’s soft man.”

“Soft?” Lance scoffed,”They stabbed me! Like, everyday!” He set his hand on the passenger side door.

“Pricked, Lance. The term you’re looking for is pricked.” Hunk raised an eyebrow and opened the door, sliding into the driver’s seat. He was pulling on the seat belt when Lance yanked the parallel door open and continued his outburst,”Hunk, _they were cruel to me and you don’t even care_!”

“Sure, man.”

Lance slumped into the seat and gave Hunk his most offended look,”I thought we were bros?”

Hunk chuckled and turned on the engine,”We are. But bros or not,” He gestured for Lance to put on his seatbelt,”you’re over exaggerating.”

Lance crossed his arms and stared out the window as Hunk started to pull out, bracing one hand on the back of the passenger seat,”Any neat stuff happen in there? Is the food good?”

Lance groaned, faceplanting into the bag on his lap,”It’s terrible.”

“Oh man, nevermind, I take it back. That must’ve been torture.” He looked genuinely upset as they pulled out onto the main road.

“It truly was.” Lance said dramatically, pulling his head back up,”But there was an upside.”

“Oh?” Hunk kept his eyes on the road but raised an eyebrow curiously.

“Cute nurse.” Lance smiled.

“Oh really? What’d she look like?”

“He.”

“Oh,” Hunk smirked and wiggled his eyebrows at Lance,”well what’d he look like?”

“A racoon.”

Hunk squinted,”That’s flattering.”

“I’m serious, though.”

“You met a cute racoon? Who is also a nurse?”

“No, well, I mean, kinda.”

“Wow, they’re really advancing in the bioengineering department-”

“Hunk, please, that’s no-”

“-or do they just let any racoon be a nurse these days? I mean, what’dya expect, in this economy-” Hunk lifted one hand and shrugged.

Lance laughed a little but ran a hand down his face,”He’s a guy. A guy with a human body and four limbs and, and, a _mullet._ ”

“ _Noooo_.” Hunk scoffed, as if Lance had told him some juicy gossip.

“ _Yesss_. But it suits him I guess.” He shrugged and looked out over the dashboard. They were downtown now, getting closer to their apartment.

“He sounds cute. Not your type, but cute.”

“What’s that mean, not my type?” Lance pouted, turning back towards Hunk with narrowed eyes.

Hunk lifted his hand and held up two fingers, still staring at the road,”You have two types. Damsels in distress and Rough boys.”

“Who says he’s not a rough boy?” Lance interjected.

“He’s a nurse?”

“He has a life outside of nursing though?” Lance blinked, rethinking the sentence,”I hope.”

“You hope?”

Lance shook his head, clearing his thoughts,”I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I do not have a-a type.” He waved his hands with a huff.

“Of course. My mistake.” Hunk grinned as they turned onto a cross street.

“You’re not a rough boy and I like you~” Lance teased and Hunk laughed, tapping the steering wheel lightly.

“ _Awww, Babe._ ” He joked.

 

“Oh so um,” Lance started, reaching into the bag on his lap again,”I got a prescription for some stuff. Like, cuz ya know.” He looked up briefly,”So can you take me by the pharmacy later?”

“Yeah, no problem.” Hunk tapped the wheel, humming to himself.

 

Their apartment complex wasn’t big, but it wasn’t rundown either. It was the right amount of good to keep them there for the price they paid and it suited their needs well enough. The complex was adjacent to a small store and just off the main road leading downtown. The location was ideal and made it easy for commuting.

 

“Hey, did Pidge ever make her appointment?” Lance asked as Hunk pulled into their parking space.

“Bro, that’s next week.” He put it in park and leaned against the wheel, turning to face Lance fully,”You’re still gonna take her right?”

“Yeah of course!” Lance narrowed his eyes slightly, shuffling the things around on his lap so he could reach over his shoulder and adjust the seat belt,”She still want me to go?”

“Yeah, Dude. You’re like, her support system.” Hunk grinned, gesturing with his hands,”I mean, I’d go with her but you know I have that class…”

“Yeah, no, I remember.” Lance chuckled and unbuckled the belt, sliding the bag off his lap,”A few days in the Hospital didn’t mess with my memory.”

“I’d hope so.” Hunk turned the ignition off and started to get out as well.

 

“I have a shift starting this afternoon so, I better get settled back in now, before it’s too late. Ugh.” He pulled the bag out of the car, stepping back slightly and groaning. His boss was chill, more so than most. But if you’ve ever met a man that chugged eight five-hour energies in a row and then proceeded to organize an entire shelf of video games in _alphabetical order_ then...you’ve seen some stuff,”Dave is gonna ask so many questions. Like, chill bro, I don’t even know that much.”

“Dave’s a nice guy? And didn’t he have that Aunt, the one he used to talk about. Wasn’t she diabetic?” Hunk closed the door, making sure it was locked.

Lance shrugged,”Yeah, but he’s gonna be all _dad_ on me.”

“Dave likes you. Just let him be nice.”

“Hunk, please.” Lance sucked in a breath,”He scares me.”

Hunk laughed and raised an eyebrow,”You mean he intimidates you because that one time that angry mom came in--”

“Hunk, please.”

“-- _I asked for Final Fantasy IV not blah blah’_ I don’t even remember, but man, Dave? I’ve never seen a man crush a can of Red Bull so fast.”

“Ew, I hate Red Bull. How does he drink it? Doesn’t he seem like a Monster kinda man too you?” Lance walked over to Hunk’s side as they started to make their way up to their floor.

“He’s...something.”

 

They reached the door to their apartment- second floor, labeled A26. Hunk shuffled for his keys momentarily before they were both inside, setting down their stuff and stretching. For Lance, the sight of his living room was heaven.

“I’m hungry.” Were the first words out of his mouth as he headed for the kitchen. Hunk let out a single laugh, closing the door,”You’re always hungry.”

“Meh,” Lance stretched his arms over his head, reaching down to scratch his stomach,”I guess.”

“You’re gonna have to watch your diet more than usual.”

“Not really. Well yeah but,” He opened the fridge,”the nurse said not as drastically as you’d think.”

“The racoon?”

Lance looked up and glared, sticking his tongue out when Hunk laughed,”Yeah, the racoon.”

 

“Okay, I’m gonna put all this stuff,”Lance said once he’d eaten some leftover lasagna and wrestled the soda away from Hunk who had insisted he drink water instead,”in my room.” He’d checked his bg before eating, prompted by Hunk and the initial fear of somehow messing things up (Keith had shared many a horror story with Lance) and had bore the pin-prick sensation with no motivation. He’d been in an okay-ish range but, much to Lance’s demise, if he planned to eat as much as he did, he’d have to give himself some insulin.

“I’ve got all this equipment and yeesh, my room’s gonna turn into a doctor’s office.” Lance held up the monitor and scrutinized it. He glared down at the lancets.

“You’ll be fine.” Hunk called, sitting down on the couch and searching absently for the remote.

“Eh.” Lance replies, already heading for his room.

 

Lance was in quite the mood to put off his shift for as long as he could, choosing instead to lay with his head on Hunk’s lap, feet kicking in the air as he stared at the ceiling.

He was, for lack of better words, bored as fuck.

 

“Hunk, what are you watching?” Lance turned slightly on his lap so he could better see the television screen.

Hunk was leaning against the couch back with one arm draped over it and the other bent at an angle and aggressively turning the volume up with the remote,”How It’s Made.”

“I hate that show.” Lance deadpanned.

“See, it’s comments like that, that earn you no Panna Cotta,” Hunk shrugged, face showing annoyance.

Lance became instantly distraught, sitting up and shifting to capture Hunk’s attention,”You would not deny me Panna Cotta.”

Hunk raised his eyebrows, blinking in a somewhat bored manner,”I would?” His voice rose in question, although it was a statement.

Lance frowned and plopped down, face first into the couch, chest resting against Hunk’s lap and butt in the air,”Rude.”

“You insulted my show.”

“It’s a terrible show.”

“And you called me rude.” Hunk shook his head, imitating a scolding mother,”Wow, Lance. I’m hurt.”

Lance lifted his face enough to shoot his friend a withering look,”The narrator sounds like a disembodied voice.”

Hunk’s eyebrows drew together,”It is...a disembodied voice?”

Lance groaned and face planted again,”He sounds like an actual disembodied voice,” He turned around to face right side up,”Where is the narrator, Hunk? _Where is he?”_

 _“_ I’m all for supporting your theories about narrators but this one, I cannot.” Hunk turned back to the show.

“You would choose...the toilet paper tube voice...over your _best friend_?” Lance gasped.

Hunk seemed to hesitate, but eventually sighed in reverence,”It’s my favorite show, Lance. Our bond is much greater.”

“Huunkk, _mean._ ” Lance jutted out his lip and shoved his shoulder lightly. Hunk snorted but tried to look serious.

“I have a-a very, in-depth and accurate,” Lance narrowed his eyes as Hunk grinned,”analysis on the narrators in films, television series, and documentaries.” Lance held up three fingers,”Narrators that are documented, ones that aren’t, and Ghost Narrators.”

“Don’t joke about ghosts, Man.” Hunk eyed him.

“I’m not, Hunk, it’s legit.” Lance moved to sit comfortably next to Hunk,”I call them _‘Never Casted’_.”

Hunk snorted loudly,” _But showed up for recording anyway_.” He repeated in an equally mysterious voice.

“Laugh all you want, but until I do a very thorough Google search later, Mr. Toilet Tube is staying in undocumented.”

“I’m sure he’s legit.”

“That voice says otherwise,”Lance narrowed his eyes at the television before smiling back up at Hunk,”you should make some Panna Cotta soon.”

* * *

 

Lance was eventually forced to go to work. He liked his work, but it was Dave he worried about.

 

The man was a bright eyed and bushy tailed store manager that had hair sticking out every which way and a permanent 5 o’clock shadow but somehow he made it look slightly charming. His uniform was never in place and his lanyard was never around his neck, where it _should_ be, but instead, tied around his wrist.

Despite Lance’s initial, and completely sarcastic, grievance towards the man, he enjoyed his company. From day 1, Dave had been shown to be energetic, snarky, witty, and impulsive- all of which were traits Lance was endowed with as well. He’d always seen his boss as a comfort figure of sorts, someone he could look at and remember it was okay to be how he was.

Dave had ADHD too, like Lance, and that (along with not being surprising) was what Lance liked about him the most.

He was a mirror image, in Lance’s eyes, and it made him feel so much more secure in himself; so much more secure in who he was.

 

“Lence.” The gruff, but vibrant voice called out and Lance raised an eyebrow. Dave was sitting on the front counter, as he often did when there weren’t any customers.

“Deve?” Lance smirked, turning a page in his gaming magazine.

“Lonce, tell me.” Dave tapped his chin,”On that shelf over there? Is the Mario Kart...placed next to the Legend of Zelda...perhaps?”

Lance had warning sirens going off in his head now,” _Dave, no._ ”

“ _Dave, yes._ ” The man jumped to the floor and fidgeted with the lanyard on his wrist, leaning down to study the Gamecube games.

Lance leaned against the counter now,”Dave, have you been drinking Red Bulls again?”

“No, Margret took them away from me.” Dave hummed, shifting through the games and setting them in place, but making no mood to completely reorganize the shelf. Lance let out a sigh of relief.

“Then why are you so anzy?”

Dave yawned and turned to shrug,”Well, I had some coffee-”

“Say no more.” Lance knew what any form of caffeine did to Dave,”Just please don’t reorganize again.”

Dave nodded, walking over to the display consoles,”How are you feeling?”

Lance looked up and blinked.  
Dave decided to clarify,”You’ve been out for like week? Margret’s been taking your shifts, God knows Kenny won’t.”

Lance frowned,”I don’t like Kenny.”

 

It’s true. He hated Kenny. He was stuck up blonde kid with spindly arms and a wardrobe that seemed to consist of only indie band tee shirts.

On his first day there, Lance had been assigned to teach him the ropes, but it had gone horribly wrong. Kenny had been rude, disrespectful, and downright pissy. At the end of Lance’s mentoring session, he’d ranted his ass off to Dave. Of course, Dave could do nothing about it, since the job had been given to the kid based solely on that his mother had been Dave’s late Aunt’s best friend. Dave hated Kenny too.

 

“Nobody likes Kenny.” Dave blinked at him, as if it were common knowledge,”but Margret wasn’t happy about the extra shifts. She didn’t need them and she sure as hell didn’t want them.”

 

“Yeah, sorry.” Lance winced slightly. He didn’t like the idea of an upset Margret. She was a soft girl who had auburn highlights and freckles that lined the bridge of her nose and eyes of emerald-gold. She was pretty and funny and smart, and Lance saw her as a little sister. Sometimes she’d be restocking a shelf, and he catch some douche looking at her. Needless to say, they never came back to RC.

 

“I’ll make it up to her.” He nodded at Dave and the manager smiled. They were about to go on in their conversation when the entrance bell chimed and both turned to see who the newcomer was.

 

A tall, curvy, blonde-haired woman strutted in. She wore a strapless crop top and low rise jeans that showed off the piercing on her navel. Her lips were full and her eyeshadow was a shimmering sun gold and silver. She smirked at the pair of men.

“Hey guys.” Her voice was flirty and feminine, almost too much so, and Lance’s stomach clenched.

 

“ _Nyma._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come meme at me on tumblr! (I enjoy a good meme) And talk to me about the fic!  
> All updates and content related to this fic will be tagged as "hifth" "hifth fic" and "health insurance for the heart fic" with spaces!


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Noice.” She muttered, turning it over in her hand,”Don’t lose it.”
> 
> “‘M’won’t.” Lance started to tie the bag back up, cheeks puffed out like a squirrel.
> 
>  
> 
> He did lose it. He lost it like a-like a-like a man loses his bg monitor. He was late for work too, and he’d planned to do a check that morning, but alas, he couldn’t find the monitor.
> 
> “Hunk!” Lance was lying face down on the hallway floor,”Hunk! H e l p me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: I've changed the Video Game Store to an original, do to some problems. I hope you all enjoy, none the less!

Lance didn’t want to see her, speak with her, even be ten feet anywhere around her. But her presence hung in the air with the sickly sweet smell of her perfume and he felt like gagging.

Dave leaned against a shelf, arms crossed, watching her. He’d met Nyma before, in passing. They’d even hit it up over a few select video games, but Nyma was Nyma. And she was manipulative, cold, and cunning. The type of girl that left you hungry for more, but only let you have a taste. The type of girl that stole your credit card in the night and skipped town, putting you in debt and leaving you for bankruptcy. That kind of girl.

“ _What do you want, Nyma._ ” Lance was fed up, leaning against the counter and glaring at her. His usual mirth was replaced by a steely gaze that had a haughtiness about it that wasn’t easily brushed off. But Nyma was Nyma, and she appeared unfazed.

“Just wanted to say hi, Babe.” She cooed, hooking one thumb on the loop of her jeans. Lance grimaced.

He didn’t hate her. He really wished he did, but he didn’t. She’d been nothing but terrible to him, but he still found himself forgiving nonetheless. That was what he hated.

“You said it. Get out.” Lance narrowed his eyes and backed up against the far wall, arms crossed firmly over his chest.

“Aw, Babe, that's no fun.” She pouted, swinging on her heels and titling her head.

“Just? Get out, Nyma, seriously.” Lance glanced at Dave, a warning sign, a call for help almost. Dave blinked at him, still watching with mild interest.

Nymas flirty facade fell away almost instantly and she scoffed, hands dropping to her sides,”Whatever.” She clicked her heels and walked over to the section of playstation games,

”You're no fun anyways. And I'm not here for you.”

Lance sneered,”Wow, a first.”

“Shut up.” She eyed him before the smirk was back in place and she picked up a video game case, the name obscured by one hand. She had big hands for such a frail figure.

One thing Lance and Nyma had in common was video games. Its how they'd met. He’d been in a store on the east side of town one night, one of the bigger stores, in a mall. He’d caught her eye, apparently. She’d wrecked him.

“New console? Thought you were an XBox kind of girl.” Lance didn't really care, he just wanted her out. He was seething with something akin to hatred but it was hard to place. Maybe he was still angry about waking up with his wrist cuffed to the headboard of a hotel room. God, he used to be such an idiot.

 

“Yep! Rolo got it for me.”

God, that was someone he did hate. Rolo. The oh so good looking douche she worked for- worked with. He was scruffy, in a creepy sort of way, and he was lanky and had bags under his eyes. But he was still attractive and it made Lance ill that he thought so.

“Good for you.” Lance deadpanned.

Nyma’s smile faltered for a moment before it was once again spread across her face and her laugh was chilling and giggly. She stepped forward and slid the game across the counter,”Just ring it up for me.”

“Okie dokie.” Lance smiled and grabbed the game from her. Even if he didn’t necessarily want to see her, or even be near her, or listen to her voice- Lance wasn’t an asshole. He’d play the peacemaker this time, but next time, he didn’t know what he’d do.

“Anything else?” He raised one eyebrow and leaned forward slightly.

She shook her head, enjoying that he was showing the irritation bubbling beneath his skin,”I’m all set.” She took that moment to lean forward and trail one finger along his jawline. Lance tensed.

A hand gently gripped Nyma’s wrist and lowered her hand, prompting her and Lance to look at who had made the motion. Dave smiled, his eyes clearly shadowed from lack of sleep.

“No touching the employees. It’s nice to see you Nyma, I hope you come by again.” His voice gave away nothing as he seemed to be genuinely glad at that moment, but Lance could see the forced edges of his smile. Nyma returned it.

 

“I guess we’ll catch up later.” She resolved and yanked her wrist away from Dave, heading towards the door.

 

When she was long gone, Lance sighed deeply and slumped against the counter. His lanyard tugged against his neck as it got caught under one arm, but he didn’t move or adjust his position. “Why does she do that?”

Dave shrugged from where he was at, propping his elbows up on the counter beside Lance and giving him a sideways glance,”She’s kind of a spiteful ex.”

“Spiteful is an understatement.”

“Point taken.” Dave surmised, pursing his lips. He tapped the edge of the counter with one hand.

“I hate seeing her. She lives closer to the store on the other side of town, why does she come here?”

“You know why she comes here.” Dave raised an eyebrow and blinked at Lance’s downcast head.

“I know.”

* * *

 

“Keith!” Shiro’s voice rang out in the small cafeteria where the nurse was lounging, feet kicked up and head lolled to one side. At the sound of his name, his head shot up and he just about fell over in his chair,”Wha-what?”

Shiro narrowed his eyes as he approached,”Were you here all night again?”

Keith reached up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes slowly, adjusting to the blur of the room and the pumping of his heart as it raced to keep up with his breathing.

“Um, no?”

“Why do you lie to me, you suck at it.” Shiro deadpanned and seemed almost saddened.

Keith yawned and cracked open one eye,”It’s not a lie. I wasn’t here... _all_ night.”

Shiro moved and Keith thought he saw him cross his arms. He imagined a tight frown across the older man’s lips.

“Only most of it.” Keith lifted one hand lazily and blinked open both eyes.

He was in the cafeteria. He’d remembered coming in to get some coffee and get a little shut eye, but he guessed he’d fallen asleep for the rest of the night. His phone was in his locker, so the attempt to find it in his pocket and check the time was for not.

 

“What time is it?” He asked Shiro, his words still not fully forming.

Shiro shrugged,”Around ten…”

“Ten?!” Keith shot up out of his chair and glanced around, his hands flew out to straighten his scrubs,”It’s already that late?”

“Keith, you’re not even supposed to be in until eleven today, so it doesn’t matter.”

Keith glared. Shiro knew he came in early anyways. His morning routine meant a lot to him. It kept him focused. It kept his thoughts in order and helped prepare him for the day ahead of him.

 

Keith’s morning routine went a little like this: He’d usually wake up around six in the morning, on lucky days. Days where he slept in his own bed at home and gotten a decent night’s rest. Although far and few between, these were usually good days.

He’d get up, go for a quick jog to clear his mind, and then return to take a shower and such. After getting ready, he’s usually leave his house around 7:45 if he was on track. If he was running late, he’d maybe leave around eight or eight-thirty.  

When he arrived at the hospital, it was always quiet. His favorite time of day were the mornings and the nights. The late, late nights. Those times were when he was able to think and form thoughts in peace and there was nothing to disturb him- no alarms, no drills, no blood and screeching forms. It was a gentler time at the hospital.

 

“Anyways, we’re a little short on staff right now and I came to get you.” Shiro smiled, his frustration depleting as fast as it had come.

Keith nodded,”I’m up and at ‘em. What’s going on?”

“Nothing much, but an ambulance came in last night, probably while you were asleep.” Shiro blinked,”Probably why you weren’t trying to force your way to the front lines.”

Keith furrowed his eyebrows, adjusting his ID,”Probably.”

“Probably.” Shiro smiled before turning towards the counters and continuing,”But there was some sort of accident. I was busy at the time and couldn’t directly deal with it, but Carol gave me an update.”

Keith patted himself down, made sure he had his pager, and then joined Shiro at the counter,”And she said?”

“Something about a,” Shiro glanced at Keith with a frown,”a car accident.”

Keith’s previous curiosity dimmed and he grabbed for a cup blindly,”Oh.”

“She’ll be okay.” Shiro’s voice was soft and a small smile returned to his lips, but Keith shook his head.

“Yeah.” He didn’t really want to skim the topic. Accidents were a touchy subject for him. Accidents. _Accidents._

“If I’m needed,” He brought the fresh cup of coffee to his lips,”page me.”

“I will.”

* * *

 

The next day, Keith decided to go home from work early. It wasn’t that he was particularly distressed, he just wasn’t all there. He didn’t like working when he wasn’t _all there_. He’d learned the hard way that an unhealthy or unprepared nurse is worse than no nurse at all, and that’s the rule he lived by at this moment, making his way home in the sedan he was glad to call his own. He hadn’t always made such decent money.

He made his way to the small apartment he liked to call his home. He could, if need be, afford a house, but that just wasn’t his style. A house? For what? What would he need such a large piece of property for? He was just glad for a small kitchen to cook in (if he ever decided to attempt it) and a living area and bedroom. That was all he wanted and he enjoyed it.

* * *

 

“Hunk, I’m gonna eat this bag of cheese cubes.” Lance deadpanned, bag in hand.

“Are you like,” Hunk turned to him with a worried look,”sure that’s such a good idea?”

The apartment had turned into a medical center within weeks. Lancets laid piled up near an empty bucket of trash they had yet to dispose of properly. Lance hadn’t bothered to take them in yet. Lance had taken Pidge to her appointment the week following his return home, promising to explain everything on their return. She’d been her usual self the entire ride there, but upon their arrival to the endocrinologist (What a coincidence that it was Lance’s very same doctor?), she’d promptly latched onto Lance’s arm and wouldn’t let go. She went there to see her doctor, monitor her estrogen levels, and get her shots. Hunk usually went with her, but he had a class that very same day, so it was up to Lance to accompany their nervous friend. Pidge was very new to estrogen, and her changes were happening gradually, but Lance could see how she got happier with each passing day. He was happy to see her so full of life, especially after the accident.

When they’d returned home, however, she’d become quite annoyed with his cackling at the pun in ‘Lancet’ as he explained. Lance didn’t know what her problem was, he thought it was quite funny.

“Yes, Hunk, it is.” Lance raised an eyebrow at him, opening the bag and taking out one single cheese cube,”I am very hunger-y.”

Hunk blinked,”There’s like, real food in there. Real food. Non-cheese food.”

“Huphuphupup!” Lance glared, stuffing his cheeks with the soft cubes,”Shhhhhhh, I am enjoying myself.”

Hunk gave him a withering look before shrugging,”Okay, fine.”

Pidge came out of the bathroom at just that moment, carrying his monitor,”So this thing monitors your bg.” She blinked up at him, glancing at the cheese. She shrugged, however. He had quite the appetite.

“Pidge, tell him to eat real food.” Hunk interjected from where he sat on the couch, chips in his lap.

“I mean, you’re eating chips.” Pidge pointed out, waving the monitor in his direction.

“It’s-I’m-It still counts.” Hunk paused with one chip held up to his mouth.

“Whatever.” Lance muttered around his cheese cubes, eyeing them. He nodded towards the monitor,”Yeah. I left it in the bathroom.”

“Noice.” She muttered, turning it over in her hand,”Don’t lose it.”

“‘M’won’t.” Lance started to tie the bag back up, cheeks puffed out like a squirrel.

 

He did lose it. He lost it like a-like a-like a man loses his bg monitor. He was late for work too, and he’d planned to do a check that morning, but alas, he couldn’t find the monitor.

“Hunk!” Lance was lying face down on the hallway floor,”Hunk! H e l p me.”

“Are you _sure_ you’ve looked everywhere?”

“Mhm.”

“Positive?”

“Mmmmhm.”

“Super duper ultra positive?”

Lance lifted his head to see Hunk holding the monitor in front of him, one hand on his hip and an eyebrow raised. Lance reached for it,”Hunk, my big beautiful friend!”

“Uh-uh.” Hunk lifted it, although in Lance’s position, he couldn’t have grabbed the monitor anyways,”Wanna know where I found this?”

“No.” Lance deadpanned.

“In the dishwasher? How did it even get in there?”

“Oooooohhhh.” Lance laughed slightly,”See, funny story-”

Hunk blinked and turned towards the living room, setting the monitor on the coffee table,”Text it to me, you gotta get ready for work.”

“Shit, you right.”

* * *

 

His shift started slow. A few teenagers came in, an older woman, and a dad who seemed very happy to buy his son a birthday present, but surprisingly was not the most educated in the game department.

Kenny was manning the counter at that time, but Lance had pushed him off to go play on the display consoles so he could give the dad what he liked to call “Lance’s run-down.”

“What kind of console does he have?” Lance lead the man over to the Playstation section.

The dad blinked and tried to think,”PS...4?”

“Ah, nice.” Lance tugged on his lanyard and crouched down to flit through some cases,”He’ll like these.” He handed the man a few of his own favorites and he smiled, seemingly pleased.

Later that day though, when the sun started to rise in the sky and people were all at work or at lunch or something else, it was quiet in the store. Lance liked to quiet, as much as he was a people person. He appreciated the silences. It allowed him moments to himself. Moments to think.

“Hey, Lance. Thanks for taking those shifts for me.” Margret came up to him, setting one hand on his shoulder. Lance smiled, glad he’d been able to make it up to her by taking some of her shifts.

“No problem.”

Lance’s mind was soon focused in on a different voice, however, as someone new entered the store.

 

“Got any Pokemon games.” The voice was soft and approachable and scratchy in all the right places and Lance sucked in a very bisexual breath. He turned around and was once again face to face with droopy racoon eyes and a small smile.

“Keh,” He didn’t form words, he was too flustered, too out of his element,”Ke _ith_.” His voice cracked a high pitch.

Keith laughed lightly and held up a game,”I told you I come here.”

Lance had no room to talk, Keith had said that. But for some reason the notion had slipped his mind and he hadn’t exactly thought that he’d show up during one of _his_ shifts.

“H-i.” Lance cleared his throat and regained his composure, leaning against the shelf of games and twirling his lanyard,”Well, now you get to see _my_ place of business.” Keith rolled his eyes good naturedly. Lance’s smile faltered momentarily when he saw that the dark shadows under Keith’s eyes were more faded- as if he’d been getting more rest than usual.

“You look good.” The words were out before Lance could shut himself up.

Keith blinked, almost confused, before the smile was back and he was blinking rapidly and happily,”Thanks, man.”

Lance missed that. He missed the hospital, dare he say. He missed the nurse that would sit with him in the dark and talk to him. The nurse that would joke with him and prick him with needles and taught him what a Lancet was.

“Yeah, anytime!” Lance commented maybe a bit too loudly and stretched his shoulders. He let his eyes roam to the loose fitting jacket draped around Keith’s shoulders. He could see the sweater underneath; it looked like the one he always wore under his scrubs. His hair was framing his face, soft and dark and wavy. Lance was lost for a moment. Lost like a bg monitor.

“Let me help you out…” Lance coughed into his fist and swept past Keith, heading towards the Nintendo games,”You said Pokemon?”

Keith set the game down and stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets,”Yeah.”


	5. Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Keith!” Lance stumbles for the words but eventually finds his voice.  
> Keith decides to get right to the point.  
> “What are you doing here?”  
> Lance pauses and blinks, looking guilty,”What are you doing here?”  
> “I work here!” Keith throws his arms up and gives him an incredulous look. Really Lance?  
> “Right, right.” Lance laughs minorly and seemed to deflate, looking a bit of a mixture between ashamed and abashed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and sticking with me this far! Remember to check out my tumblr @cryptidcriss and send in asks or whatever ya like! I have a bad habit of switching between present and past tense, but I hope it's not that noticeable. ;^;

Okay so Keith really likes Pokemon. Like, really, _really_ likes Pokemon. Lance had to admit, he was not at all expecting the guy to be so interested. He actually kind of thought Keith had just said the first game that came to mind, but no, he had been dead serious- dead _set_ \- on getting a Pokemon game. An older one, too.

“Pokemon Yellow?”

“Yeah,”Keith blinks, hands still in his pockets as the pair are bent down together near a shelf. Lance is flitting through the games, trying to find the one in question. He doesn’t think they’ve had a Pokemon _Yellow_ in ages, to be completely honest.

“Wouldn’t you rather, I dunno, ya know, like,” Lance doesn’t meet his eyes, but gestures at him vaguely,”get one of the newer ones? Like the ones that just came out. Sun and Moon?”

Keith shrugs,”Already own them.”

“And…” Lance finally turns his head to face Keith and lift one eyebrow,”Then, wh-Pokemon Yellow? Why would anyone want that game do-” Lance gives him a look,”Do you even have a gameboy.”

“Yeah.”

“Bro…” Lance is a bit caught off guard.

“What?” Keith moves his hands in his pockets, balancing himself in the half-crouch they both are posing at the moment,”I collect.”

“A game collector. Keith? A game collector?” Lance blinks at him, hands stalling on the shelf for a moment before he’s standing back up and stretching his legs,”Okay, did not expect that.”

“I like Pokemon.” Keith’s expression doesn’t give away much, and he looks as genuine as ever, so Lance decides to give the mullet-man the benefit of the doubt.

“Keith is a connoisseur of fine video games,” Lance pulls on his lanyard and smirks slightly,”Nice.”

“Mostly just...Pokemon.” Keith admits and Lance decides that maybe Keith isn’t as cool as he thought.

“Boo.” He crosses his arms and makes a clicking sound with his tongue before turning on his heel and marching towards the back room.

“Where are you going?” Keith stands up and follows him, a confused expression flashing across his face. Lance turns back to explain, when he notices the way Keith is looking at him. It’s one of his hospital looks- gentle, firm, analysing. Lance is almost amazed that he can pinpoint it. He’d barely known Keith a week, and in that time frame, he’d come to be accustomed to the subtle looks he had. They were all different; they all meant different things. This one, however, he found harder to decipher.

 

Keith’s eyes were wandering over him, calculating. It wasn’t cold, though. His eyes were warm and narrowed, crinkling at the edges. He took his lower lip between his teeth and seemed to concentrate. Lance almost felt like he was back on that exam table, felt like Keith didn’t realize he was fine now and he was at work and also _Dave was there and staring and please Keith why are you looking like that_.

 

Much to Lance’s hopes (or not hopes…), Keith flits his eyes back up to meet his own and gives a small wisp of a smile,”You look like you’re doing good.”

Lance wants to respond, but suddenly he’s all too hyper aware of the way Keith’s eyes are speckled with little gray rose petals along a background of violet, and there are freckles on his nose. They’re dusted just across the bridge and _God, they’re cute._ And Keith isn’t just attractive, it’s the way he’s gentle and soothing even outside of the hospital, and to be completely and honest to God truthful here, Lance was not at all expecting that. Not that he really expected to speak to Keith again, but do you see how that worked out? Maybe Lance sort of liked his inability to predict things.

 

“Thanks.” He responds sort of blandly, as if he’s not quite sure what to say. Which he _isn’t._

Keith’s smile falters slightly and his eyes look a bit guarded when Lance doesn’t respond desirably,”Sorry, I kind of... “ Keith takes a step back, stuffing his hands further into his pockets and looking down at the floor,”I kind of have trouble separating work from...other things.” He pursed his lips, trying not to look as embarrassed as he feels. Lance, for one, finds it endearing. (As he does everything the nurse seemed to do).

 

“No, it’s,”Lance turns back to face him fully. He can kind of see how things might be awkward. They do only know each other from a trip to the ER. Lance wonders if that sets them up for an uncomfortable situation, but that thought is pushed to the back of his mind. Keith is here, and he’d be lying if he said that didn’t make him somewhat happy. “It’s fine. You’re fine.” He starts to sputter, rocking back on his heels and reaching up to scratch the back of his neck,”I mean, you’re fine, like you’re okay. We’re both fine! Everyone is...everyone is _fine_.” Lance exhales, not exactly understanding why his smooth composure is crumbling so quickly.

Keith, for all it’s worth, seems unfazed and slightly amused,”I did come here for a game, you know.”

That is beautiful to Lance’s ears as he starts to walk backwards towards the back room again, keeping his eyes on Keith,”Yes. Yes. You did. I’m gonna check back here and see if,” He bumps the counter with his hip and hisses, reaching back to feel around the object and towards the back room’s doorway,”see if we got...that. Thing.”

 

He escapes into the quiet and dusty atmosphere of the back room. It’s dim and there are games and consoles stacked, packaged, and tossed around everywhere, but it’s familiar and welcoming and he’s alone.

Well, he _was_ alone.

 

“Lonce!” Dave peeks his head in from his office, smiling in that way he does when he’s had one too many Red Bulls.

“Oh dear quiznack, what are you doing.” Lance is too distressed right now, he can’t deal with one of Dave’s shenanigans. Dave, however, pleads the fifth.

“I’m just thinking about that one time Margret said I couldn’t eat five bananas and a 7-up.”

“Dave.” Lance tries the gentle approach,”Dave, think about what you’re doing.”

 

Lance isn’t exactly the voice of reason in most cases, but he certainly is when it concerns Dave. The guy is off the walls 25/8 and sometimes Lance gets pretty concerned for his well being. One time he duct taped his wrists to see if he was strong enough to break free on his own, effectively locking himself in his office for about five hours. No one was there and he just! Duct taped his wrists! That’s why he usually opted to keep busy. Whether it be by playing on the display consoles or by going out of the store for a while, Dave needed constant stimulation or else things would end up like that time he tried to have a drone stack the shelves. Dave was never left alone to his own devices.

“Lance, I thought you trusted me.” The older man pouts slightly, opening the door to his office a bit more.

“Dave,” Lance’s voice is soft and he breathes deeply, pointing with his hands clasped together,”Dave, I love you. You know that. But please, _please_ do not do what it is you are thinking of doing right now. “

“And that might be?”

Lance narrows his eyes,” _Dave._ ”

The man concedes and eventually, Lance feels secure enough to leave him in his office. At this point, he’s almost forgotten to look for the video game Keith wanted and he does a light skim before confirming that they do not, in fact, have it in stock.

 

“You sure?” Keith asks, sounding slightly disappointed. Lance feels his heart jump a little at the tone he takes and he feels that maybe, just _maybe_ , he could have looked a little harder.

“Yeah…” He blinks, eyebrows drawn together as he studies Keith. The man in question bites his lip in thought and rocks back on his heels. After a moment, he lets out a breath and shrugs,”It was worth a shot,” Keith smiles then,”And it was definitely nice seeing you.”

 

Lance’s breath is gone. Where’d it go? Hell if he knows, all he knows is he can’t breathe and he’s not exactly sure _why._ “Y-yeah you, uh, you too.” He stumbles over the phrase, inhaling deeply.

Keith’s smile never falters. He glances from Lance’s eyes to his hands before some sort of spark forms and he gestures out towards Lance,”Did you end up figuring everything out okay? Were my lessons helpful?” The questions are genuine and Lance nods, a small grin gracing his lips,”Yeah, extremely.”

There’s a pause and then,”I should probably thank you for that.”

Keith’s eyes widen and he lifts his hands, for the first time having them both leave his pockets,”Naw, man, it’s my job.”

“Well, yeah, but,”Lance tries to protest. He doesn’t _care_ if it’s Keith’s _job._ He wants to thank him. Is that...weird?

“Thanks.” It’s genuine and Lance tries to grin whole heartedly at the man.

In Lance’s defense, Keith’s reaction is priceless. He lowers his hands and his eyes scrunch up just a bit, flitting across Lance’s gaze. He seems to be trying to dissect the gratitude he’s being shown. His lips are in a loose pout, almost a frown, and he scans every inch of Lance. Suddenly, then, he looks taken aback,”Nobody’s ever thanked me before.”

 

And that sort of breaks Lance? He doesn’t know why, but the way Keith’s voice cracks in the middle of the sentence- the way he looks sort of out of place and awkward- it all makes Lance very, very sad.

“Are…” He trails off,”You’re serious?” His voice is small but it’s not like the store was an extremely loud place (although it could be sometimes).

Keith shrugs slowly and almost with a withdrawn sort of way he moves,”Yeah.”

Lance lets the shock and, hurt? Hurt, in Keith’s regard. He let’s the dissatisfaction cross his face purely,”That’s...that’s really depressing, oh my God.”

 

So maybe...that might not have been the right thing to say. But hey, Lance was never known for thinking before he speaks, so can you really blame him when Keith frowns?

 

“Thanks.”

“No, I mean, I didn’t,” Lance tries to save himself,”Like...Sorry.”

“Yeah.” Keith looks down again and he resolves himself with a sigh,”It’s fine. I’m not bugged by it anyways. It’s my job.”

Lance frowns now too,”That doesn’t mean you don’t deserve a thank you, Keith.”

 

They don’t speak for a moment after that, and it’s not exactly an uneasy silence. The store is dimly lit by the afternoon sun and the game packaging glares from the light. The space is fresh and clear and unmuddled like a hospital might be. Maybe that’s why Keith came here.

 

“I guess so.” Keith mutters absently, reaching up to rub his arm. It seems to be an act of comfort.

“There we go.” Lance smiles and a small chuckle escapes his lips. Keith smiles back at him fondly and the world seems to fade away.

 

“I uh, I gotta go now.” Keith’s smile is gone, but his face doesn’t show signs of irritation, so Lance takes his words as genuine.

“Oh, uh,” Lance isn’t exactly sure what he wants to say. He didn’t think he’d get this far.

He sort of wants Keith to stay and he kind of wants to keep talking, but also, he’s not sure Keith even wants to continue the conversation. He’s sort of stuck between a rock and a mullet,”Cool.” He looks up at the ceiling for a moment before slowly flitting his eyes back to Keith’s. The nurse is giving him an apologetic look and stuffing his hands back in his pockets.

 

“Yeah.” Keith starts backing up towards the door, jutting his thumb out to gesture. They stand in silence for a moment more before Keith gives Lance a grin and turns to face the entrance,”I’ll see if I can find that game online or something. See ya.”

 

That makes Lance sad. The way he says it, it implies they won’t being seeing each other. And Lance, he kinda sorta, really wants them to see Keith again.

“Uh, hey, wait up.” He speed walks to where Keith is standing in the doorway, turning to raise a curious eyebrow at Lance.

The man in Keith’s line of sight looks sheepish and fidgets with his hands as he moves in closer. He looks like he’s trying to form words, sort of. _Lance, c’mon, you got this. It’s just your dumb, cute nurse._ Lance gulps and clears his throat,”Would you...I mean, wou-like,” He wills all his language skills back to him in that moment,”Can I have…” _your number?_ Maybe, no. That’s not good! That’s...a terrible approach.

Keith seems to feel that things are taking too long and turns full circle to give Lance his full attention,”What’s up?” He asks slowly.

Lance feels his tongue heavy in his throat. _What’s up?_ He doesn’t know! He just knows he’d be really freaking sad if Keith walked out and that was just _it._

“You...working tonight?” Is what finally comes out and Lance isn’t exactly opposed to the words. They’re not bad. They can work.

Keith blinks, not really understanding the importance of the question, but goes along with it anyways,”I work every night. So, yeah.”

Lance grins brightly and shoots him finger guns,”Ah, nice.”

Keith’s eyebrows furrow but there’s a ghost of a smile on his lips,”Yeah. Nice.”

“So, um,” Lance tries to shimmy his way out of the awkward predicament he’s gotten himself into,”See ya.”

“Yeah,” Keith says with a softer tone and what sounds like, a lot more conviction this time around,”See ya, High Bg.” Lance chokes on air as soon as the chime of the bell rings and Keith steps outside.

* * *

 

“Is it...weird to get a crush on your nurse?” Lance is currently sitting on his ass, bowl of pretzels in hand. He knows he shouldn’t, but goodness, he’s stress eating. Let him have _this one thing._

“Depending on the situation,” Pidge interjects. She’s sitting on the other side of Lance, one hand in the bowl. They’re watching _America’s Got Talent_ and cringing at the bad auditions. Hunk was at one of his classes,”I’d say there’s about a 50-50 chance that it’s weird.”

“How can you say that, you don’t know the situation?” Lance scoffs, swatting away her hand. She frowns at him and sends a glare his way, which eventually makes him give up his tight reign on the pretzel bowl. She shrugs, grabbing a handfull,”You said you saw him at work today?”

“Yeah.” Lance nibbles on one pretzel lazily.

“Couldn’t have been coincidence.” She surmises.

“And how do you know that, Puderson.”

“Ew, don’t do that. Don’t mix my online name with my nickname.”

Lance raises his eyebrows at her, a fed-up look on his face,”Gunderson, the all so famous hacker.”

“Yours truly, but not irl.”

“Whatever floats your little boat, Flunderson.”

“God, Lance. To think I was gonna give you some advice.”

“Advice for what.” He mumbles and leans against the couch more, shoulders hunching. He’s brooding. In his own way. He didn’t have the guts to ask the guy for his damn number, and now he’s sitting here with a life full of regret.

“I mean, it’s not the end of the world, Lance. This crush.”

“I didn’t say _I_ had a crush! I said...like, hypothetically.” He’s indignant. His cheeks are flaring, but his tone tells no lies. He doesn’t know if it’s a crush, okay! He barely knows the guy, there’s no room for something like that to form. But every time he thinks about Keith’s soft smiles and warm hands and his laugh. God, _his laugh_. It sends a thrilling shiver down his spine.

“Yeah, okay. _Hypothetically._ ” Lance can practically hear the air quotes and he groans, slumping further into the couch,”I should have just gone to Hunk with this one.”

“Too bad, you’re moping now, and guess who’s here now? I am. You’re stuck with me.”

“Gremlin.”

“Douche-bag.”

“That’s a compliment, in some states.”

Pidge gives him a quizzical look but doesn’t comment on it,”So, I have yet to see you facebook stalk this guy. I could do it for you.”

“Pidge, first of all, oh my God.” He flails his arms out,”Secondly, I’m not a creep, also _I don’t have a crush._ Have you so quickly forgotten the hypothetical?”

“Hypothetical? Hmm, don’t remember. All I see is some lanky dude with a crush.”

“Ouch.” Lance deadpans, weakly reaching for his heart and pouting ever so slightly,”I’m telling Hunk.”

She glares,”You _wouldn’t._ ”

Lance smirks back at her,”Do you _really_ wanna test that theory?”

Pidge clears her throat,”Don’t we have a hypothetical crush to get back to?”

 

* * *

 

Keith checks over his equipment for the third time. He’s tired. He’s _so tired_ , but it’s the late shift and he needed to get away from the quiet of his apartment. Don’t get him wrong, he loves the quiet. But sometimes it gets so insufferable, so silent, that he starts to think. And when he starts to think, he starts to remember. And Keith _hated_ to remember.

 

“Hey, Mr. Kogane.” A teasing voice called out to him but he didn’t turn to look, already knowing who it was.

“Carol.”

“That’s not a very nice way to greet someone.”

 

She was right, but it was very late and he was tired. He was also kinda sorta upset. His trip to RC earlier that day had been for not. Well, not completely. He’d been able to see Lance at least. The thought sent heat rushing to his face for reasons he didn’t want to know.

But then he’d just left and went to work with mixed feelings in his head.

 

“Sorry, Cay.” He replies, turning to smile at her affectionately. She returned the grin at the use of her nickname and walked up to stand beside him.

“That girl who came in a few days ago,” She handed him the report,”she’s stable at the moment.” Keith smiled and tucked the paper into his stack of others. He let out a relieved sigh and tucked a pen into his breast pocket.

“Good.”

 

They made their way to the east wing together, walking in serene silence. Since his removal from the emergency wing, Keith had been getting better sleep, and he hated to admit that. He hated to admit that his coworkers were right. They were right about him overworking himself, and right about him being too stressed. He just, for the time being, wished to bask in the extra sleep he was getting each night. He surely needed it.

 

They rounded a corner and came face to face with Dr.Shirogane himself. He seemed to take notice of their approach and turned to face them, smile spread wide across his face,”Did Carol give you the report?”

“Yeah.” Keith nodded absently in her direction.

“Good.” Shiro turned back to the cart he had been shuffling his papers on.

 

“Has there been any other incidents…” Keith asked, eyebrows drawn together. He looked reproachful and a little abashed. He bit his lip.

 

Shiro snorted softly and glanced up,”No, there hasn’t.”

Keith let out a breath but quickly covered it up,”Nice. Good. Ahh, I’ll just,” He turned to look at Carol,”We’ll just go.”

“Okay, make sure not to work too hard.”

“We won’t. I won’t.” Keith coughed slightly, offering a smile before returning to his usual blank face,”Thanks. See you later.”

 

Keith had been doing fine, that’s all he had to say about it. He had a list of patient names and was heading towards the emergency waiting room. He was, of course, not supposed to do that. But it’s not like Shiro was gonna find out.

 

He opened the door to the waiting room and glanced down at his list,”Martha.” There was a moment of silence before shuffling and he assumed that she was gathering her things. When he looked up there was a what looked like a man walking towards him, small in stature and build, and looking rather shy.

“Um.” They said, reaching to rub the back of their neck,”That’s me.”

Keith analysed the situation for a moment before offering them a small and gentle smile,”This is a safe space, so you’re free to be yourself, don’t worry.” That was one thing that he was really proud of about Altea. The hospital tried to be inclusive of everyone and make sure their staff, as well as their patients, felt at home. It must have been the fact that Dr.Allura’s father had transitioned himself, and growing up in a time where that had been very difficult, had tried to make sure his hospital stayed a welcome place. Keith really had appreciated the way Altea was when he'd decided to come out as gay. However, that didn't stop some of his coworkers from hitting on him occasionally. 

 

They smiled instantly, still shy however,”Thank you.” They let out a relieved breath. Keith nodded and looked back at the list,”May I call you Martha?”

They nodded and tugged their bag closer,”Yes. Please.”

Keith gave the woman one last grin and ushered her towards the end of the hall,”Mind telling me why you’re being seen today?”

* * *

 

Keith was almost done with the patients on his list, having called them and assessed them one by one. He opened the door once again to call out the next name,”Patri-”

“Are you _suuureee_?” A voice found its way towards Keith and he furrowed his eyebrows, looking towards the sound.

Dear Quiznak.

Lance was leaning against the front desk, eyeing a nurse with what seemed to be a puppy dog expression. Keith didn’t whether to feel excited or horrified.

Then again, Lance could be here for completely different reasons. Keith suddenly felt dumb for thinking Lance would show up just to-

“Could you at least tell him I was here…” The voice trailed off and Keith saw Lance slump against the counter,”and tell him…”

Keith didn’t hear the rest, but it didn’t matter because he was already pushing his way out the door and over to the scene. He crossed his arms, standing a bit behind Lance and raising an eyebrow.

“Um?” He couldn’t really think of a way to get the man’s attention.

Lance whipped around to face him, eyes wide and cheeks dusted a light pink (Or maybe Keith was seeing things).

 

“Keith!” Lance stumbles for the words but eventually finds his voice.

Keith decides to get right to the point.

“What are you doing here?”

Lance pauses and blinks, looking guilty,”What are _you_ doing here?”

“I work here!” Keith throws his arms up and gives him an incredulous look. _Really Lance?_

“Right, right.” Lance laughs minorly and seemed to deflate, looking a bit of a mixture between ashamed and abashed.

 

So, Keith decided that maybe Lance showing up wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. This meant Lance wanted to see him, and that thought was enough to make Keith.exe stop working.

So Keith wondered if maybe he could...possibly…

“You wanted to tell me something?” He blinked at Lance, who in turn, tried to avoid eye contact.

“Um, yeah,” There was hesitation in his voice and he slowly trained his focus back on Keith,”So here’s the thing.” He sucked in a breath and clasped his hands together,”So, like, I asked you if you were working tonight cuz I maybe sort of wanted to hang out with you cuz you’re like...chill, man? I dunno, I just thought, hey I’ll stop by and ask when you get off, but then the nurse,” He turned to glare at the nurse manning the front counter, who glared back through the glass. Lance, feeling much more confident, gave Keith a small pout, slumping his shoulders,”No one would tell me when you get off shift.”

Keith couldn’t help but smile,”Oh my God, dude.” He lifted one hand to cover his mouth as he chuckled,”That’s...cute.”

Lance’s cheeks flared up,”What?”

Keith coughed into his hand and walked closer to him,”Nothing. Erm.” He glanced back at the nurse behind the glass, giving a slightly embarrassed and sympathetic look to her.

“Um, hey, Lance,” He turned back to the other guy,”Would you um...wanna look around?” He jutted a thumb out behind him. His face was questioning and he didn’t look at all confident.

Lance slowly offered a smile,”Uh...is that cool?”

“Yeah!” Keith cleared his throat and tried again,”Yeah. It’s cool.”

 

So they were walking around the extensive halls of the hospital and Keith was pretty sure Lance shouldn’t be here but also, he kind of sort of really felt like showing the guy around. Well, not actually. Lance had seen much of the east wing, so he had a good idea of how the hospital looked like on the inside. But Keith...wanted to talk to him again. His days were never boring when Lance was his patient. His nights had a meaning, looking after the man and making sure he fell asleep. He’d felt less stressed.

* * *

 

“This is where we ran your tests.” He showed Lance the room. They’d talked a bit about how he was doing since he left.

“You prick yourself the right way?” Keith had asked teasingly and Lance had pouted.

 

“This is the cafeteria.” Keith opened the door. Lance gawked.

 

Okay, so the cafeteria was Keith’s safe space. It was usually empty at night and the early mornings, so it was a good place to get away. Keith thought of the cafeteria as his own little sanctuary and he decided to show Lance that.

“Nice. Food.” Lance chuckled and Keith turned to look at him with a nervous smile. The nurse closed the door and adjusted the sleeves of his undershirt. “Wanna…” Keith stalled, not sure if he was up for the idea presenting itself,”wanna see where the ambulances come in?”

Lance instantly perked up,”Really?”

Keith nodded.

“Hell yeah, dude!” Lance smiled broadly,”Ya know, I had a really bad fall when I was little once, and they had to call an ambulance and the EMTs were so nice! I wanted to be one all through 5th grade.” He laughed lightheartedly as Keith gave him a slightly stricken look.

“What happened?”

“Hm?” Lance blinked, still smiling with one hand hovering over his mouth.

“How’d you fall?” Keith looked concerned now.

“Oh!” Lance’s face turned from happy to a bit guarded,”I, um. I got pushed.”

“Pushed?” Keith didn’t understand.

Lance nodded, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly,”Yeah. I...I got bullied a lot as a kid. I wasn’t the most popular, with my big mouth and my uh…” He shrugged,”Yeah, it’s fine though.”

Keith saw that Lance had become increasingly uncomfortable, so he turned to walk down the hall, gesturing for him to follow,”The ambulances are this way.”

 

So Keith probably shouldn’t have decided to bring Lance here. This was the place of all his anxiety. Whenever that alarm sounded, he instantly tensed and was always practically on the edge of a panic attack. The only thing that kept him calm and collected was his training. Other than that, he would have been reduced to a pile of shaking limbs by now.

 

“Here. Come look. “ He gestured to Lance, stopping him with a hand on his chest when he tried to walk past him,”Not too close. This is still an emergency building.” Keith reminded him.

Lance stepped back,”Ah. Sorry.”

Keith nodded and shoved his hands into his front pockets,”I wanted to be an EMT too.” He admitted, looking off at the large drive in area.

Lance cocked his head, blinking,”Oh really?”

“Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you?” He inquired.

Keith looked down, eyelashes shading his iris as he thought, lips pursed,”Um...just, didn’t work. Didn’t seem right.” He shrugged, chewing on the inside of his cheek,”I like my job.”

“You’ve said that a lot.” Lance chuckled half heartedly but didn’t pursue more information.

 

They stand there for a moment, silence enveloping the two men. Keith likes it. He’s always appreciated the silence. But this one was different. He’s not alone with his thoughts as he usually is. This time he has someone to fall back on. He likes this silence more.

Everything is ruined too quickly, however, when Keith hears sirens. _Sirens._ His breath catches. He’s not ready for it. He knew it was a mistake coming here. He knew it. He knew it.

The sirens get closer and closer until they’re blaring and Keith opens his eyes, taking a step back. He remembers Lance is there and curses inside his own mind. This was a bad idea. Patient affiliations are a bad idea. Taking Lance for a look around was a bad idea.

The ambulance drives in and Keith is in ER mode again. He rolls up his sleeves and adjusts them on his elbows. He turns to Lance then, face stern. The EMTs are already rolling the gurney up to the doors. Keith decides Lance can wait and turns back to them. 

 

“What’s up?” He asks, eyes scanning over whoever’s in the chair. _Not again._ The chant he’s used to starts early this time in his head, and he wills it away. He can see the girl’s face. She’s distressed, oxygen mask fogging up and her eyelids fluttering as she tries to remain conscious.

One EMT decides to fill him in as he walks alongside the gurney. They enter the doors and Keith forgets Lance is there.

 

“She’s not stabilizing. We need a doctor. She’s lost a lot of blood. She’ll need a transfusion.” One tells him as someone rushes to him and hands him a pair of gloves. He slips them on, hair already tied back. He helps push the gurney.

“There was an accident.”

Of course there was an accident. There’s always an accident. He glances down at the girl trying to hold on to life beneath him and almost trips. _It looks just like him._

Her messy, stained and tangled hair is suddenly cropped short and auburn. There are amber eyes staring up at him.

 

“ _Where’s my sister...my…”_

Keith doesn’t look him in the eye. The same eyes he would have to face later.

“ _My dad…”_

 

He remembered that patient as clear as day. He remembered so much about that day.

 

“ _What do you mean...there was an accident?”_

 

He let go of the gurney as they rushed into a room and Shiro rounded a corner. He looked calm; the complete opposite of Keith.

“What’s going on?” He eyed Keith curiously. No doubt he would get in trouble later for being in the wrong wing.

Keith snapped the edges of his gloves,”A-accident.” He breathes. It’s then that he realizes he’s shaking and suddenly the scar on Shiro’s nose becomes all too fresh and he blinks, but things are hazy. His chest feels tight.

 

Shiro slaps the side of his face softly, jogging him from whatever nightmare he was falling into. Keith blinks up at the gaze of the stern older man and gulps. Shiro gives his face a soft pat before turning to the situation at hand.

Keith knows what that means. That’s Shiro’s way of telling him to calm down, to try and come back to reality. It works. On occasion.

 

There’s a hand on his shoulder.

 

“Keith…?” Lance is looking at him with a spooked expression.

 _Lance!_ He’d forgotten. If there was something that could ground him in this moment, it was making sure Lance didn’t see anything of what was bound to happen. To make sure he didn’t hear the screams.

 

“Follow me.” He doesn’t ask, he commands. Keith strips off one glove and grabs Lance’s wrist, dragging him along. They wind their way through the building’s hallways, avoiding the rush of nurses and assistants and doctors. At some point, he lets his hand fall to Lance’s own, if only to gain a reasonably more secure grip on him.

 

Keith eventually leads them out to the front main entrance of the hospital and let’s go. He turns to Lance then. The man has wide eyes and a slightly confused (more like distressed) look about him.

“Kei-”

“Lance, you need to leave.”

“But-Keith, I-You-I’m...”

“Just...leave.” Keith sets him with a soft gaze, eyes already clouding over with the edge of a panic attack.

“....” He doesn’t respond at first and Keith starts tensing up again but then he sighs and starts for  the door,”Okay.” He backs up slowly, eyes not leaving Keith’s,”I’m sorry I came here.”

“No! No...ah…” Keith can’t deal with this right now. “It’s fine…” He needs to find Shiro. _Shiro will know what to do. He always does._

“No, it’s alright.” Lance is already backing out of the door.

Keith had broken so many rules that day.

 

He goes to the cafeteria.

 

His clipboard is in his lap and his feet are propped up on the table. There’s a number scrawled across the top of his stack of spare sticky notes. _That guy’s a sneaky one._

 

_Call me maybe? <3 _

 

Keith breathes in and rips the post it off his clipboard, stuffing it in his scrubs chest pocket. He’d had a cup of tea, a nice counter to the coffee he’d been drinking all day (and all his life). He didn’t even have to take his lactose pills for it, deciding to only add a few tablespoons of sugar. Shiro had come by and found him earlier, pulling at his hair and trying to get rid of the voices in his head. Trying to shut out the look of absolute _anger and disgust_ that man’s sister had given him.

 

_“You didn’t even try did you!”_

 

He’s not really the crying type, but that day had been anything but something not to cry over. He remembered how smoothly it had been going. He was an intern! And then it went to hell after that. Shiro hadn’t come into work...He was supposed to be shadowing the man, but…

 

_“Where is...Takashi?”_

 

He pushed away the tea and stood up.

* * *

 

His home wasn’t any better comfort than the cafeteria, but at least he had his bed. When he got to the door of his apartment, he felt fur against his legs and smiled. There was one comfort.

Keith bent down to scratch between the ears of the cat. She had a nitch in her left ear, but it looked cute. She was a very beautiful and large feline. Her fur was an odd shade of sandstone red and she had a soft patch of white on her nose. Her eyes were golden-amber and her tail had fork in the end where some fur had been pulled out during a scuffle. She was the neighborhood cat, but had taken a special liking to Keith, despite her aggressive nature.

“Hey there, Red.” He greeted the she-cat. He wasn’t very good with names, but hey, it suited her.

She _mreowed_ in greeting and rubbed up against the hand he had extended down to her.

“Wanna come inside for a snack?”

Keith was doing almost fine, by the time he’d fed Red and settled on his couch. He turned on the television and flipped to some channel with a mildly interesting alien documentary that might make some decent background noise as he pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of his bag. He was happy he’d remembered to take it out of his uniform pocket.

He hesitantly entered the digit into his phone and decided to send a text, to ya know, let Lance know he wasn’t mad or anything. His thumb hovered over the keyboard and he chewed on his lip momentarily before deciding to just go with it. What could happen that hadn’t already.

 

**> Hey **


	6. Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> > om  
> > >://///  
> > shiro saw me on my phone  
> > i hope ur happy  
> > im gonna get yelled at  
> > shiro?  
> > dr. shirogane  
> > oHh  
> > OOPS  
> > >://

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really proud of this chapter! Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Keith and Lance started texting regularly after that.

 

Thursday:

**> Hey**

_ >Hey! _

**> What’s up?**

_ >not much, just running errands with the gang _

**> oh?**

_ >yeah one sec _

_ >[picture sent] _

_ >there _

**> oh nice**

**> you look like you’re having fun **

_ >we are! _

**> nice**

 

Friday:

_ >hey!!! Keith _

_ >keeeiith _

**>?**

_ >whats up!! _

**> im at work?**

_ >ooh oops :( _

**_> its fine_ **

**_> did you need somerthing_ **

_ >actually yeah _

_ >so like _

_ >i lost my monitor _

**_>....._ **

**_> again_ **

_ >SsSH _

_ >.... _

_ >yes _

**_> lance_ **

_ >sssssshhhhhhhh _

_ >dont _

_ >anyways _

_ >i was just wondering _

_ >if you were a monitor _

_ >where would you hide _

**_> but im not?_ **

_ >but if u were _

_ >keith _

**_> um_ **

**_> did u check the diswasher_ **

**_> landc_ **

**_> *lance_ **

**_>...._ **

_ >maybe _

_ >um _

_ >yeah _

_ >ill go do that _

**_> omf_ **

 

Saturday:

_ >kegh _

_ >*kkei _

_ >***kkeith _

_ >i give up _

**_> omfg_ **

**_> lance_ **

**_> what_ **

_ >[picture sent] _

_ >this _

**_> oh my _ **

**_> god_ **

**_> whar_ **

**_> *wht_ **

**_> *wHAT_ **

**_> ufc now yove got me doin it_ **

_ > >:3c _

**_> shut up_ **

_ > ufc off _

**_> bye_ **

_ >COME BacK _

 

Sunday:

_ > kef…… _

_ >keid _

_ >fekitfjndjfkdjf _

**_>...._ **

**_> wow_ **

 

Monday:

_ >kef _

_ >kefer _

_ >keffiier _

_ >keftil _

**_> im_ **

**_> working_ **

_ > >:// _

_ >rude _

**_> ?????_ **

_ > >>:/// _

**_> what do u need_ **

_ > im out _

_ >of lancets _

**_> oh my god_ **

_ > >>:// _

_ > and i cant go get my prescription _

_ >cuz SomEON _

_ >took the car _

_ > >>:// _

**_> om_ **

**_> omfg _ **

**_> okay um_ **

_ >  >>>>>:///// siGH _

**_> lance do you… _ **

**_> do u want me to take u _ **

_ > thanks 4 asking _

_ >ple as e _

**_> im at work right now _ **

**_> so_ **

**_> idk_ **

**_> how to help u bro_ **

_ > >>>:/// _

**_> i get a break for lunch? _ **

**_> i guess._ **

**_> if u wanted to_ **

_ > PLE asE _

**_> fukc okay _ **

_ > hunk wont be back from his _

_ > class until _

_ >like _

_ > 10 tonight _

_ > so im _

_ > >>>://// _

**_> u really like that face dont you_ **

_ > >>>>:///////// _

**_> om_ **

_ >  >:///// _

**_> shiro saw me on my phone_ **

**_> i hope ur happy _ **

**_> im gonna get yelled at _ **

_ > shiro? _

**_> dr. shirogane_ **

_ > oHh _

_ > OOPS _

**_> >:// _ **

_ > keif no thats my face _

_ >dont _

_ >dont do that _

**_> fine whatevr_ **

**_> i g2g_ **

**_> hes walking towards me_ **

**_> hes FAST_ **

**_> ill text you on my break_ **

_ > >:// _

Keith didn’t know why he was nervous suddenly. As promised, he’d replied to the absolute _flood_ of messages Lance had left him after he’d turned his phone off. He’d been able to decipher one of the texts as an address and now he was driving.

To Lance’s apartment.

Maybe he wasn’t totally out of his mind to be nervous. This was a lot more private, more intimate than visiting each other's workplace. And with their last meeting still hanging fresh over their heads. He wasn’t exactly sure how awkward things would be.

 

Monday:

_ > hey where r u _

_ > kekeith _

**_> im_ **

**_> driving_ **

**_> this is dangerous???_ **

_ > :/ unfortunate _

**_> omgl_ **

**_> lanec_ **

**_> lANCE_ **

_ > lanec…. _

_ >who is he >:/ _

**_>........._ **

Keith had to admit the guy was endearing. In... his own way. But that didn’t stop him from groaning in frustration as he slammed on the breaks right as the car in front slowed to a stop. He seriously shouldn’t be texting and driving. He could get in an accident…

* * *

 

Keith got to the apartment in record time after that. He eventually made out the door number from whatever Lance had been trying to type and walked up the steps. When he got to the door, it was a pleasant sight. The apartments themselves looked very nice and there were several neighborhood cats hanging around on the steps and the balcony tops and there were even little potted plants placed by their door. They had a soft looking little welcome matt and some succulents and a bigger sized fern. A cat sat a few paces away, grooming itself lazily. It was a russian blue color with blinding yellow eyes and a small tuft of orange tabby fur on it’s nose. It looked about as out of place and odd as Red, which brought a small twinge of comfort to Keith.

He faced the door again and tried to work up the courage to knock. _Keith...dude...you’re a nurse. You work in a hospital. Why are you so nervous_ **_now._ ** And he kinda sorta knew why, but that was something to acknowledge...never.

He didn’t get a chance to psych himself up, however, because the door opened as soon as he raised his fist to knock.

“Blue, stop squaking, I’m _coming-”_ Lance blinked, stopping in his tracks. Keith blinked back, hand still posed to knock. He hadn’t realized the cat had been meowling.

Neither of them spoke for a while and Keith wanted to die and never have to deal with this again but then Lance smiled and  leaned against the doorframe,”Hey.”

Keith melted a little. Bless his little gay heart. “Hey.” He coughed,”Hey. Uh...ready?”

Lance looked confused and then light sparkled in his eyes,”Oh, yeah! Let me just,” He turned to the cat, walking past Keith and giving the nurse a full view of the apartment. From what Keith could see, it was cozy with warm lighting and the smell snickerdoodles fresh in the air. Keith narrowed his eyes. _Lance...After all that stuff on dieting I taught you…_

Lance picked up Blue,”Awe, baby, I know. I know. Let’s get you some food.” He huffed, hoisting the chubby kitty into his arms,”She’s a fat bab.”

Keith snorted and smiled,”I like cats.”

_That was dumb. Of course he could tell you like cats!! A lot of people like cats! Stop being so awkward, Keith!_

“Then you’ll love Baby Blue here.” Lance brought the cat up to cover his face, rocking her in his arms,”She’s cuddly. “ He walked back inside and gestured for Keith to follow, which he did so hesitantly.

 

Being inside the apartment was a completely different experience from simply looking in. It _was_ warm. Not just warmly lit. Everything was warm. It was humid too, like a shower had been running recently. And the smell of snickerdoodles -cinnamon and sugar- was stronger the farther in you went. After the front hall, it broke into a living room connected to a kitchen at the far end and a smaller hallway that seemed to lead to bedrooms and a bathroom.

“You have a nice place.”

Lance smiled back at him, still holding the fat kitty,”Thanks. It’s mine and Hunk’s.”

Lance told him to make himself at home while he went into the kitchen to feed Baby Blue. Keith sat on the very edge of the couch, awkwardly looking around. He felt very out of place. He didn’t really visit people...people’s homes. He didn’t really have friends. He had Shiro! And he had Allura and Carol. But he guessed that didn’t count because those were co workers. But he did have a personal life with them. Carol once had him over for Christmas dinner with her family when Shiro decided to spend that year with Allura, as it had been only recently her father had passed.

 

But besides that...Keith didn’t really have much of a social life. Not that it bothered him much. His job was social enough for work and his personal life. He was around people all day. And sometimes, all night.

 

He sniffed, and suddenly the scent of cinnamon and sugar was pouring into his lungs again. He frowned, turning back to gaze off towards the kitchen.

“Lance.”

“Hm?” He peeked out from behind a wall, eyebrows raised and a cookie in his mouth. _Caught red handed._

“What is that?” Keith raised his own eyebrows, blinking defiantly at Lance. The man in turn reached up and grabbed the edge of the cookie,”uh coofie.”

Keith crossed his arms,”Do you know how much sugar is in that.”

Lance looked guilty suddenly and nibbled slowly on it,”I dunno.”

“ _Lance.”_

_“It’s just one!” He took the cookie out to frown judgmentally at Keith from the kitchen. Keith was having none of it._

 

_“Put the cookie down.”_

 

“Uh...no?”

“Lance…”

“It’s just one!”

“Right now it’s just one. But I bet it’s only one of many you’ve already eaten.”

“Ummmm, shut up?” Lance walked back into the kitchen.

“Hey!” Keith got up off the couch and started after him,”Put it down, Lance!”

“No!”

“Listen to me!”

“Um? No?” Lance called, his mouth sounding stuffed with cookies.

“I’m the medical professional here.” Keith rounded the corner and leaned against the wall.  

Lance whirled, shoving cookies into his mouth,”Ummmm...I dun care?”

Keith’s frown lines deepened,”Lance…”

“Stu sayin’ muh nae lie that.”

Keith raised his eyebrows quizzically,”Uh, what was that?”

Lance just mumbled incoherently around the cookies. Blue meowed from her place on the kitchen counter, swishing her tail back and forth. Lance made a cooing noise as much as he could behind the cookies loudly crunching in his mouth. He moved over to scoop Blue up in his arms, nuzzling her nose with his and making a delighted sound when she rubbed her head under his chin. Lance turned to the vaguely interested expression of Keith and held out the russian blue for Keith to take. The nurse blinked, hands awkwardly raised for a moment, before accepting the cat.

So, Keith liked to think he was okay around animals, but this was just not fair. She instantly started purring, tail swishing side to side and running along his arms. He settled her against his chest and stared down into her eyes.

“Hey…” There was silence in reply and he felt like a fucking idiot, talking to a cat.

 

“She likes you.” The voice of Lance broke through the awkward stare down he was having with Baby Blue and Keith blinked up at the other man. Lance was leaning against the counter, arms crossed over his chest and eyes half lidded in a pleasant sort of way. He looked content and maybe Keith sort of liked the smell of fresh baked cookies that seemed to accent Lance’s natural cinnamon smell all too well.

 

But all good things must come to an end.

“Well, I guess we should head out.” Lance looked apologetic, moving away from the counter. His eyes had a nervous glint suddenly and Keith thought maybe he’d done something wrong.

Lance moved past him, probably to go gather his things, but he stopped beside Keith and wrung his hands slightly.

“Um, about that day…”

Keith knew instantly what he was referring to and blinked at him, inviting the topic.

Lance chewed on his lower lip and avoided eye contact for a moment before squinting at Keith,”You didn’t get in trouble, right? Everything’s good, right?”

Keith decided to lie,”Yeah.”

So, Keith had gotten in trouble...a lot of it, actually. Shiro had been sort of maybe a little bit pissed off, but he had that whole dissapointed big brother look that made Keith’s heart drop into the pit of his stomach. He’d gotten the firmest scolding he’d ever received from Dr. Altea. She’d looked just about ready to fight him. He was pretty sure he almost pissed himself.

“Keith! What the hell!?” She’d slammed her palm on the table and honestly? Same. Keith wanted to know what the hell too. He’d known that what he’d done had been completely and utterly against protocol. It was...not a good choice. But not that he was gonna tell Lance that. He would just decide it was better to drop that subject forever and ever.

Lance didn’t seem convinced, but he accepted the answer. His eyes shifted a bit when he asked a new question,”Were you okay...back there?” Keith looked confused,”What?” Lance averted his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows, shrugging,”Um...Back when the ambulance came?” Keith felt dread in his stomach and suddenly he knew where Lance was taking the conversation-”You looked...scared?”

 

Keith desperately wanted to change the subject. His grip on Baby Blue tightened a bit and he ran a searching hand through her fur. He didn’t meet Lance’s eyes, not knowing what he would find there. Not wanting to know.

 

“I’m fine.”

 

“You sure, buddy?”

 

The voice made him shrink slightly. He wasn’t used to it. A hand found it’s way to his shoulder and he tensed before melting into the touch slightly. It was just Lance. He assured himself. It was just him, and he wasn’t a bad guy and he wouldn’t judge Keith and he wouldn’t tell him he was worthless and he didn’t try hard enough and-

Lance squeezed his shoulder then, taking note of Keith’s silence and excessive petting of Blue’s fur,”It’s okay, Keith. You don’t gotta talk about it.” Keith hesitantly looked up to meet his eyes and was relieved to find a warm smile in their blue depths. It was also then that he noticed they were really pretty. Like... _really_ pretty. Why hadn’t he noticed before?

His thoughts were interrupted suddenly as Blue _mrreowed_ loudly in his face, pawing at his chest and ducking her head under his chin. Guess he really was a cat person.

Lance took that moment to sneak back over to the counter and try to snatch one last cookie but Keith caught him in the act and it resulted in a lot of bickering, in which Blue decided to escape from Keith’s arms and go sit on the couch.

 

After their bickering had quieted and Keith had successfully wrestled the cookie out of Lance’s hands, enjoying the horror on Lance’s face as he ate it in front of him, they decided they had wasted enough time.

“You have a car?” Lance asked as they headed out,”Nevermind, I’m dumb. Of course you have a car. Mr. Nurse guy who works at a hospital.” Lance muttered to himself.

Keith smiled at him, adjusting his jacket and peering back as he locked the door, meowing promises of his return to Blue.

“Mr. Nurse guy?” Keith looked amused.

Lance stopped and turned his head, blinking for a moment. Then his eyebrows scrunched up and he scoffed,”Don’t act like terrible nicknames aren’t a thing between us.”

“Um? They aren’t?” Keith raised his hands,”My nicknames are good?”

Lance stuck his tongue out, pocketing his keys,”As if.”

“They are?”

“Yeah, totally.” Lance settled one hand on his hip,”High Bg. Creative.”

Keith frowned,”It’s cute.”

 

Lance blinked for a moment, one hand still on his hip and the other raised as if to say something, his mouth slightly open. Then he shut it and crossed his arms over his chest, nodding,”Fair point.” There was a small blush on his cheeks, but maybe Keith was just seeing things.

 

Keith grinned at him,”I’m glad you see things my way.”

Lance stuffed his hands in his pockets after zipping up his jacket,”Anything for the man who potentially saved my life.”

“I guess you do owe me.” Keith joked.

 

He liked this more than the awkwardness. He liked joking with Lance like how they had in the hospital. It was natural and warm and Keith didn’t exactly know how to describe it, because he’d never felt that way before. He’d never had such a conversation or even felt particularly invested in one like this. He didn’t think he’d ever felt that kind of warmth before.

 

“C’mon.”

* * *

 

As soon as they’d gotten in the car and Lance had stopped snickering (“You drive a _Prius_.” “It’s efficient?” “Yeah, but…” ) they pulled out and Lance directed him towards the pharmacy he went to for his medical prescriptions.

Lance adjusted his seat belt and smiled as Keith tapped the steering wheel in an easy rhythm. They fell into a comfortable silence before Lance decided to break it.  

“So, what do you do when you’re _not_ working.”

Keith shrugged,”Sleep...I guess.” He continued to tap the steering wheel, staring straight ahead.

Lance nodded, intrigued. He crossed his arms, raising one hand to stroke his chin conspiratorially. “So...you _don’t_ have a life.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He didn’t seem perturbed but  his eyebrows knitted together slightly. The tapping stilled for a moment. Lance shrugged.

“Man, don’t lie to me, I know you sure as _hell_ don’t sleep on your time off.” Lance gave him a pointed look.

“You don’t know that?”

“Um?” Lance made a gesture towards Keith’s eyes,”Either you enjoy wearing week old eyeliner or you don’t sleep, dude.”

“Maybe I like eyeliner.”

“Keith…”

“See how it feels.” Keith smirked as Lance took the _tone_ with him.

“Yeah, yeah. Just drive.”

* * *

 

Their trip to the pharmacy was quick and Lance managed not to annoy the person at the front counter as they picked up his prescription. They were driving back when Lance asked Keith if he’d eaten anything and when the nurse replied with a subtle shrug, Lance forced him to turn the car around.

 

“There’s a cafeteria at the hospital. I can eat between patients.”

“That sounds so unhealthy, what the fuck? Treat yo’self.” Lance drummed on the dashboard. Keith pouted a bit, squinting at the road,”Lance, It’s fine, reall-”

“No, it’s not!” Lance spread his arms out like an eagle,”You said you still had half an hour for lunch left, which is, surprisingly,”Lance closed his eyes and lifted a hand,”a fair amount of time.”

“I work long shifts so they let me take a long lunch.”

“Sounds fair.” Lance nodded, one eyebrow raised. He then clasped his hands together,”So we’re going to _Casa de Fuego Restaurante_.”

“We’re going to what now?” Keith raised an eyebrow, glancing at him,”House...Fire…”

Keith, working in the place that he did, picked up on spanish a few years ago, but God knows he wasn’t fluent in any shape or form,”We’re going to a house fire?”

Lance snorted,” _Restaurante_.”

“Oh right. Forgot that part.” Keith offered Lance a grin that he returned.

“Is it good?”

“Only the best?” Lance scoffed, bewildered that Keith would ask such a thing,”It’s authentic. Delicious.”

“I bet it is.”

 

So they did end up going there and Keith had to admit, it was delicious. They’d ordered their food after Keith decided to just let Lance pick whatever for him and he hadn’t complained about it, it was _good._ Lance had proposed that maybe they go back there sometime and Keith had nodded absently, not quite sure what to say.

 

“I mean, you don’t have to.” Lance had tried to interject.

 

Keith looked up from his food,”No! No, I mean…” He looked away again, then back up,”Yeah. Yeah, I’d like that. We should.”

* * *

 

Keith gave Lance a lift back to his apartment and, for some reason, he still had a little time left on his break. Not that it mattered if he was late, he’d checked his patient’s list when he left and everything was cleared until later. It didn’t really make a difference whether or not he showed up a little later than usual. However, he preferred early to late any day.

 

When they stepped inside, Lance put his things on the coffee table. He spread his things out all over it, not really caring where it scattered. Keith raised an eyebrow at him and grunted,”You gonna check your levels?”

Lance narrowed his eyes and gazed up at him with a pout, firmly settled on the couch,”Maybe…”

Keith raised both eyebrows, crossing his arms over his chest,”You need to.”

Lance scoffed,”Yeah, yeah...I’ll do it later.”

Keith wasn’t convinced,”You should do it now.” He gestured towards the scattered items.

Lance whined and suddenly Keith was feeling the worst deja vu.

“Lance…” The warning tone. Lance eyed him warily for a moment.

 

And then Keith was on him, reaching for a lancet and Lance was scrabbling away from him. Keith grunted as Lance’s butt connected with his jaw, but reached around his waist to hold him still. His cheek was effectively resting against Lance’s butt now, and he? Didn’t feel too bad. Felt organic.

 

Keith eventually wiggled his way around and splayed one hand on Lance’s face, pushing him down into the cushions. “Aha!” He smirked, slightly out of breath. Lance mumbled something into the cushions and slumped.

Which was extremely awkward for Keith because now he was essentially straddling the guy from behind and (When had their position changed so drastically?) Keith was feeling seriously unprofessional. _This isn’t the hospital!,_ He reminded himself. He tried to, anyways.

 “Let me do it.” He offered, moving quickly to let Lance up and lean back on the other side of the couch, curling his arms around his knees and locking his hands.

“Let you what?” Lance ruffled his hair and drug a hand down his face as he sat up, looking more than a little disgruntled and...flustered? Keith was sure he was imagining that.

 “Fine.” Lance mumbled, blush growing stronger as he straightened out his shirt and looked down at the coffee table with a pout. Keith blinked at him for a moment before scooting closer,”Good.”

 He eventually found Lance’s monitor (“the dishwasher?? again??”) and settled next to him on the couch again. Keith reached for Lance’s hand almost hesitantly. This was different than the hospital. More intimate.

 

Pushing those thoughts away, Keith focused on the task at hand. It was simple enough. He was also very aware of the lack of gloves on his part, meaning the heat coming off of Lance’s hands (why were they so soft…) was coming into direct contact with Keith’s own.

 “You have warm hands…” He mumbled and immiediately winced. _Why..._ He sucked in a breath but Lance looked sort of shy now and gave an equally mumbly thank you.

 

So, anyways, Keith stopped thinking about Lance’s hands.

 

He selected his middle finger and slowly but surely picked up the lancet once again. Keith glanced up at Lance to make sure he was doing okay. He seemed sort of zoned out, staring at their conjoined hands with a distant expression. Keith took this as the perfect time to strike and rubbed his thumb over Lance’s knuckles once before pressing the pricker to his finger. Lance jumped slightly at that, but didn’t pull away and Keith gave him a small but reassuring smile. “There we go.” His voice was soft and he thought he felt Lance shudder a bit through his grip on his hand. Keith made quick work of checking the blood and giving Lance a paper towel (“go wash your hands.”). Lance needed some insulin, apparently and he wondered if the other man would let him help with that too.

It definitely wasn’t weird that he wanted to help. It definitely was just cause he wanted to help and not because he maybe sort of kind of wanted to feel the heat of Lance’s skin against the palm of his hand.

Lance came back with his insulin pen, holding it awkwardly and seeming discontented. He sat back down next to Keith and screwed up his nose,”Time for the worst part…”

Keith smiled apologetically and reached out to squeeze Lance’s hand,”Let me help.”

So Keith got down in front of Lance and gently took the pen from him,”It’ll hurt less if I do it, anyways.” He assured Lance, who shied away at Keith’s touch. The nurse’s hands were reaching out somewhat,”Where do you usually inject it?”

 

Lance bit his lip and fumbled for the edge of his shirt,”Stomach.”

“Ah.” Keith took a long look at the pen, and then after confirming his correct dosage, he reached to lift up the hem of Lance’s shirt. The air was slightly chilling, Keith guessed, or something, because when Keith pressed one hand to the soft skin of Lance’s stomach, it contracted under his touch and Lance sucked in an involuntary breath. Keith didn’t even attempt to look up at his face. He rubbed the spot he was going to use for a moment,”It’s just like in the hospital.” Keith reassured. Lance hummed, discontented. His hands were balled into fists at his side.

 

Keith pressed his thumb to Lance’s stomach gently, approaching with the pen,”It’s okay, Lance.” He spoke in a different voice than his one reserved for patients. It was softer,”I’m right here.”

 

And Keith did the job quickly, noticing how Lance flinched reflexively and almost whimpered, catching himself and trying his best not to act as afraid of needles as he was.

 

Keith, for one, kept his head firmly lowered and on his main focus.

When he’d removed the pen, he moved one hand to lace with Lance’s fingers, forcing him to unclench his fists. Keith tried to capture his gaze, when he finally did, he offered Lance a warm smile,”That wasn’t so bad, now was it?” He chuckled. Lance gulped and shook his head,”Guess not.”

“I told you I’m good at what I do.” Keith’s smile remained and he didn’t move. He felt Lance’s hand grip his a bit tighter,”I know. I trust you.”

Keith’s heart dropped and suddenly he was feeling things. Things he wasn’t ready to feel. Things he didn’t want to feel. There was a silence. Keith’s smile faltered and he held Lance’s gaze shakily. And then, all too against his will, he was staring at something else.

Keith leaned up a bit, tilting his head a bit,”You...trust me?”

Lance nodded, moving closer too,”Yeah.” He smiled then, eyes fluttering,”With my life.”

It was a joke, Keith knew it was a joke, but...He was _feeling_ things and, pen still clutched in one hand, he braced himself against the cushions of the couch and leaned forward. Their noses brushed slightly and-

 

“What’s up nerds!” A loud voice resounded and they both turned to look, scrambling away from eachother, creating distance. Keith turned towards the supplies, busying himself with cleaning the mess up. He was most definitely late now. He didn’t even have to look at the time.

 “Hey, Pidge.” Lance had recovered quicker than Keith and the nurse pouted slightly, still turned away from the two. _Pidge?_ The name sounded vaguely familiar.

 

“Who’s your friend?”

“Oh, uh,” Lance shifted,”That’s Keith.”

There was a pause, followed by a snicker,”Oh, so that’s-”

“Hhhsphupup-” Lance made an odd sound,”He’s my nurse from...ya know. He’s kind of. We’re, um. We’re friends, sort of?”

Keith could hear Pidge snickering,”Well, okay.” There was another shift and then he felt as if he was being stared at,”I’m Pidge.” There was an expectant break and Keith turned to look at whoever it was greeting him.

 “H-” He stopped abruptly, squinting. The girl in front of him had short cropped hair and a loose cardigan thrown over a graphic tee. She had large glasses...they looked so familiar…

 

“ _Katie…_ ” Keith inquired, still not quite sure; still hesitant. The girl in question narrowed her eyes at him and he just _knew._

 

_Oh God._


	7. Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There’s loud noises sounding all throughout the hospital- some are sirens and others, others are probably screaming. Keith doesn’t know, nor does he care. He’s focused on one thing. Accident.
> 
> And damn, was it an accident. So many injured. So many in pain and not enough doctors or nurses to go around and suddenly Keith isn’t an intern anymore.
> 
> “I let you down…” He murmurs finally, eyes shutting firmly and Lance looks back at Keith with confusion. Pidge screws up her nose in distaste or something else.
> 
> “Do you guys know each other ???” Lance is growing impatient by the seconds and Keith can’t say he blames him. He’s sitting there with this look on his face that says he’s not sure what’s happening, but he sure as hell knows it’s not good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :^)

“Do you...know each other?” Lance interjected just as Keith was standing up and firmly looking away. He seemed frazzled and out of his comfort zone.

Pidge was staring at him; a studious look rested on her face and she seemed almost as frazzled as Keith, but with a little more bite in her stare. Lance was stumped as he looked between the pair.

“You were…” She stammers, raising one hand to point at him, squinting. Keith doesn’t respond, still looking away and seeming on the edge of a panic attack. He’s clutching his shirt, hands balled into fists. Lance can’t tell if he’s breathing or not. “Weren’t you…”

And Keith is breaking on the inside.

_There’s loud noises sounding all throughout the hospital- some are sirens and others, others are probably screaming. Keith doesn’t know, nor does he care. He’s focused on one thing. Accident._

_And damn, was it an accident. So many injured. So many in pain and not enough doctors or nurses to go around and suddenly Keith isn’t an intern anymore._

“I let you down…” He murmurs finally, eyes shutting firmly and Lance looks back at Keith with confusion. Pidge screws up her nose in distaste or something else.

“Do you guys _know each other_???” Lance is growing impatient by the seconds and Keith can’t say he blames him. He’s sitting there with this look on his face that says he’s not sure what’s happening, but he sure as hell knows it’s not good.

 

“I dunno, you tell him, _Keith_?” She didn’t say it harshly, but her tone was shifting as she spoke, getting harsher. She had an almost hurt look on her face and she was also clutching at the sides of her shirt.

Lance looks back at Keith expectantly, eyebrows raised and mouth in a firm line. Keith finally musters up the courage to raise his head, an unreadable expression on his face. He doesn’t address Lance though.

“You were his sister…” His voice is rough and he’s looking her in the eyes now, gaze shifting as if he can’t bare the weight of the fire in their depths. She’s not exactly glaring at him, but her mouth is pressed into a firmer line now and she’s narrowing her eyes more and she seems more than a little ticked off.

Keith’s mouth falls open and he accepts her silence as an affirmation and he takes a step back. His hands raise slightly, as if to defend himself. He bites his lip and he seems almost...scared.

“I’m sorry…” He chokes out.

“Are you?” Pidge bites out now and her fists are clenching and unclenching. Lance is glancing between the two, trying to figure out exactly what’s going on so maybe he can defuse the situation. Baby Blue meowls loudly from the kitchen but nobody seems to hear her.

 

“I have to go.” Keith avoids all eye contact as he hesitates and then starts for the door, grabbing his jacket and pulling it on as he walks. Lance follows him with a steady look of concern, about to tell him to wait but the words aren’t coming out.

Pidge looks conflicted. She tensed when Keith brushed past her and now she was staring at her feet, biting the inside of her cheek and clenching and unclenching her fists. Finally, she broke. Her hands relaxed and a weary look overtook her face as she sighed,”Keith...no, wait-” She turns just as the door shuts, not loudly. Maybe too softly.

Pidge studies the door temporarily, as if weighing her options, and then she’s striding towards it. She opens the door and steps out after Keith, calling his name, and Lance is left on the couch with the meowling of Blue in the distance and he’s more confused than ever. Finally, the cat finds her way over to him and jogs him from his daze, rubbing and purring against his leg. He blinks down at her, smiles, and picks her up.

“C’mon babe. I’ll get you some food.”

* * *

 

Pidge stands panting behind Keith, looking up at his tense back. It’s almost as if he refuses to face her. Maybe he can’t.

“Keith…” She starts, not sure exactly what to say. She’d followed him out for a reason. Pidge can see that he’s clutching at his arms. His form is shaky and his head is bowed and suddenly she realizes.

“Hey,” Her tone changes to something gentler and she raises a hand as if to reach out to him, despite their distance,”Keith...it’s okay.” She assures him. The shaking stops for a moment before there’s a shuddering breath. He’s clawing his arms now, trying not to make a sound.

When he finally responds, his voice is heavy and laced with pain,”I’m sorry I fucked up.” He’s clutching his chest now, still not facing her. Pidge’s stare softens a little more and she frowns gently,”Keith…” Her tone is breathy and exasperated. She knew she was being hard on him. She was holding a grudge she had no place acknowledging. But it hurt, ya know?

 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save him, Katie.” He continues, making her blink up at him. Her heart feels suddenly pained, remembering that day for the first time in a while. It always hurt when she was thrown back into the turmoil of her inner thoughts and memories. “I’m really, really sorry.”

 

She pauses for a moment. More than a moment, maybe two or three. She studies him. Keith is still facing away from him, almost shrinking in on himself. He looks...scared.

She makes a decision and takes a tentative step forward. And then another. She hesitates and takes another.

 

She reaches Keith and sets one hand on his shoulder. He tenses under her touch, not quite relaxing even after a few seconds go by. Pidge doesn’t know exactly what to say or do, she’s not an expert on comforting people and she’s not even sure Keith is comfortable with the simple gesture of her hand on his shoulder and she’s overthinking things now but then Keith relaxes against her touch and so does she. She lets out a long sigh, ruffling the hair curling around Keith’s neck. It’s amazing she’s able to stand to that height, but he’s hunched over and one hand is pressed firmly against his face now. She can barely make out the tension in his face and she figures he’s squinting maybe. Closing his eyes tightly so tears can’t slip out and nightmares can’t slip in.

 

“You did try.” She says after the silence is no longer comfortable and begins to drag on. Her words aren’t laced with much feeling, just being put out there, but they’re the best she can offer. And they’re true, there’s that much.

“You tried, Keith.”

 

And Keith thinks, _Did he?_

 

Pidge squeezes his shoulder,”Matt was in good hands.” Keith sucks in a breath at the name finally going up into the air,”Dad was...was in good hands. You did what you could.”

 

_Everyone is breathing heavy and there’s so much screaming Keith can’t tell the doctor’s voices from the patient’s._

_“Shiro…” He’s muttering, not quite there. He feels sick, like he’s going to throw up. Everything was a mistake._

 

“I know you lost a lot that day, too.”

 Keith isn’t ready for this part of the conversation. The memories aren’t fresh but the cobwebs haven’t started masking them yet and he remembers everything so vividly it feels like acid burning through his eyes and melting his retinas.

 “It was...Your brother was on that plane, wasn’t he?” Pidge presses despite his initial withdrawal from reality. Keith doesn’t answer, pausing and not moving at all. When he does, he blinks and lets his arms fall.

“Yeah…”

Keith can recall that day like a clear sunny day, but in his vision the sky is stormy and it’s raining and Keith hates thunderstorms and Shiro...Shiro was always home by then. He was always home to make Keith a cup of tea and sit with him and wait out the storm. It wasn’t Keith’s fault they had a shift that day. But also, Shiro was supposed to be coming home from a trip that same day and Keith hadn’t the opportunity to shadow his older brother but it was still…

Shiro was usually home by then.

And then there were the sirens. Oh God, Keith hates the sirens. They wailed like bloody murder and sent Keith into a panic attack every time they sounded. And God, he’d felt the dread building in his stomach when a passing nurse mentioned the words “plane crash”. It wasn’t supposed to be that way...things were supposed to be different. Shiro was supposed to be home and they were supposed to be waiting out the thunder with a cup of tea. They were supposed to be together.

 

“I know that was hard for you. It was hard for us all.” Pidge brings him back to the present. Keith sucks in a breath, trying to even out his heart rate. He’s staring off into the distance, studying the railing of the staircase she’d stopped him on. It’s blue, sort of like the door to Lance’s apartment.

 

“Wanna talk about it?” She offers when Keith doesn’t reply. He’s afraid to.

 

_You tried your best._

 

And Keith is suddenly crying or something because the railing is blurry. So blurry he can’t even make out the shape of it and he sees Shiro’s face in his head and he’s scared all over again.

 “He told me he would never leave me.” Keith finally says, voice small and crushed. One hand clutches the edge of his shirt, clinging to something to maybe stabilize himself. Pidge doesn’t respond but squeezes his shoulder so he continues, voice sharp and wavering like waves on the ocean,”He was supposed to be home hours ago.”

 They didn’t live together anymore, but at the time, Shiro’s presence was the only thing he looked forward to. After the accident...Shiro changed. He changed very noticeably visually speaking, but he also changed on the inside. And Keith didn’t like it.  

 “I heard that he was in critical condition and I lost it and...they expected me to be level headed and help and maintain the situation.” Keith’s hands are out now, gesturing as he recalls everything. His voice is getting more even, but his heart rate continues to grow faster in pace.

 “I couldn’t perform.” He frowns, teeth pulling on his lower lip,”And you suffered because of it.”

 Pidge’s grip on his shoulder tightens and a small sniffle slips past him. He turns, around then, and wipes his cheeks, looking down at her.

 “Hey, no crying.” She fake-frowns up at him and he lets a little smile fall on his expression. “Do me a favor, ‘kay?” Pidge’s face turns serious and she searches his eyes quizzically.

 He nods, blinking.

 She grabs his hand and squeezes it,”Just...keep saving lives, okay? We need you.”

And Keith can’t refuse that request for the life of him.

* * *

 

He is extremely late. He is like...the epitome of late. Keith walks through the hospital doors in a rush and holding a cup of coffee (God, he drank a lot of coffee) to make the lie he was gonna make up more believable. He was gonna slide past and say some sort of rant about being caught up at the coffee shop and blah blah blah.

Keith walks past some of the nurses once he makes it back into the hospital’s east wing, walking with long confident strides. He’s smiling at them, acting like he hadn’t just missed about 30 minutes of his shift. Like, he didn’t really have a set lunch time since he was efficient and Allura favored him, but it was still a little too late and he’d taken maybe a little too long. He didn’t necessarily regret it though.

 Things were going just as planned until he ran into Shiro. His face hit him in the chest (Shiro is tall???) and he stumbled back slightly, coffee sloshing in the styrofoam cup. Keith blinked up at the older man who was giving him the “where the fuck were you just now?” look and Keith starts relaying his lie in his head.

 “Sorry I’m late,” He starts, acting out of breath,”I got caught up at the shop and-”

“Keith.” The voice stops him and Keith looks back up into Shiro’s eyes. His eyebrows are furrowed and his gaze is questioning but necessarily harsh. He does look stern, however.

“What’s up with you lately?” He asks, gentle.

 Keith looks up and now he’s the confused one. “What’dya mean?” He holds the coffee cup up to his lips and takes a small sip, enjoying the sugary caffeinated rush it gives him, the flavor easing his nerves somewhat.

 “You’ve been really off since your transfer, don’t act like you haven’t.” Shiro isn’t mad, but he definitely looks upset. Keith chews on the inside of his cheek and tries to think of ways to answer.

“I’ve just been…” Keith trails off, not meeting Shiro’s eyes. He’s already had to live through too many memories for his comfort that day, he didn’t know how to look at Shiro directly at this point. The scar on the bridge of his nose is a constant reminder of the pain from that day. A constant reminder of Keith’s uselessness.

  _You tried your best._

 “I’ve been just kind of, busy? It’s sort of hard to get used to a new environment after all.” Keith offers a small shrug and sips his coffee again, hoping to hide the frown masking his lips. Shiro doesn’t really accept that answer though,”It’s been a little over a month?”

 And suddenly Keith realizes that it _has_. It’s been a month and he hadn’t even noticed the time fly by and he’s feeling a little bit anxious now. It’s really been a month? It’s been over a month since he met Lance and he transferred to the east wing and he stopped staying up so late and trying to save everyone and everything and-

 

It’s been more than a month.

 

Keith nods,”I know.” He starts walking past his older brother when a hand stops him. Keith doesn’t turn, but there’s a weight in the air that he recognizes.

“Just...take it easy, okay?’ The voice is soft and it makes Keith grip his cup, the warmth causing a tingly sensation to spread through his palms and up his fingertips. “Don’t do anything rash.”

“Okay, Shiro.”

“I’ll see you later?” The doctor asks and Keith nods, not turning to look at him as he heads off and around the corner to look for Carol. She was always a decent source of comfort on his bad days.

“Yeah. See ya.” Keith taps the wall before he disappears, pausing momentarily,”Bro.”

* * *

 

“So, you gonna tell me what the hell that was about?” Lance raises his hands, pacing a little around the coffee table. Pidge is sitting cross-legged on the couch, watching Lance walk around with a lazy expression.

“Don’t worry about it, dude.”

Lance scoffs, whirling on her,”Do-don’t? Don’t worry about it?”

“It’s not a big deal, God, Lance!” Pidge groans and gives him a glare but there was no heat to it,”Just drop it?”

“No.” He pouts a little and doesn’t even move when Baby Blue rubs up against his leg, purring. He has a worried mask on his face, looking worse for wear and a little on edge. Pidge caves, knowing she couldn’t live with herself, leaving him like that.

She sighs and uncurls her legs, scooting over and tapping the spot next to her on the couch,”Come. Sit.”

Lance obliges and looks at her incredulously,”What happened between you two?” He asks, voice quiet. Pidge could tell the whole thing was really bugging him.

 

“We met back when Dad and Matt...we met when the plane crash happened.” Pidge says bluntly, her face taking a sour note. Lance’s eyes go slightly wide, as if in recognition.

“You don’t mean…” He looks a little set off, scared, and Pidge knows why so she shuts him down right there.

“It’s alright. Me and him? We’re cool.” She gestures with one hand splayed out, eyebrows raised and eyelids droopy in a chill fashion,”Don’t worry.”

Lance let’s out a sigh of relief,”Okay…”

“Yeah.” Pidge smiles at him then,”C’mon. Let’s go play some Mario Kart.”

Lance smiles back,”’Kay.”

* * *

 

So after that, things were going smoothly. Well as smooth as you could say they were. Keith hadn’t texted Lance at all for the rest of the week and Lance was too scared to try and call him or something so they didn’t see each other for several days. This allowed Lance to realized exactly how lonely he was without Keith’s presence. But alas, he could only sulk in those feelings for so long before he had to go to work.

 

When he arrived that day, he was in an especially depressed mood and Dave seemed to notice, if only a bit. He had dragged his feet in, uniform tousled and his lanyard hanging a bit off his shoulder. His face really said it all though, with drooping eyes that never seemed quite as bright as they usually were. He might as well just have been in one of his ADHD moods but Dave could always tell when something was off.

“Hey, Champ.” He used his dad voice and Lance had to physically hold back from groaning at the man. Lance looked up from his place at the front counter.

“Hm?” He hummed, leaning his cheek against the splayed palm of his hand. Dave decided to lean against the counter too, studying him with narrowed eyes.

“Something up?” He questioned.

Lance looked away, jutting out his lower lip in a pout,”No.”

“ _Lonce_.”

“ _Dave._ ”

Dave smirked at that and leaned back again, setting his hands on his hips,”Alright, don’t tell me.” He finally let up and Lance tried not to sigh too openly,”But,” Dave narrowed his eyes again,”If you _do_ need to talk about it. I’m here.”

“You’re always here.” Lance murmured, looking up to give his boss a genuine grin that the older man returned.

“Righty-o, my main man.”

* * *

 

The rest of the day was going by just fine when the door’s bell jingled, and not bothering to look up from the video game magazine he was studying, Lance didn’t know who the heck had just walked in.

“Hey.”

Now he did. Lance started for a moment before he offered Keith a small and sort of pained smile. Lance didn’t consider himself an awkward guy but right now he felt a bit out of place. He could only imagine how Keith felt.

The nurse in question was standing there with his hair loosely pulled back by a hair band, bangs falling out in strands to frame his face carefully and his eyebrows knitted together in an added effect to the apologetic look he bore.

“Hey.” Lance responded after a moment.

Keith offered him a smile, eyes scrunching up in the cute way they did when his smiles were genuine. Lance’s mood lightened at that.

“Sorry about this week. This whole...it’s just been a bad couple of days, ya know.” Keith pursed his lips together, eyes sort of tired looking. He always looked tired but now there was something different, foreign, to his expression.

Lance shook his head, holding up his hands,”Bro, it’s fine.” He confirmed, cracking one eye open and smirking,”You’re fine.”

Keith’s hesitant smile turned into a grin and the tension in the air eased a bit. The nurse let out a breath,”Yeah, well, me and Katie-Pidge, um.” He stuffed his hands into his pants pockets,”We’re cool.” He looked up then,”She said we were cool, right?”

“Oh, yeah, totally.” Lance confirmed, bobbing his head up and down,”As cool as a cucumber. Yep.”

Keith snorted and things fell into a comfortable silence after that. The distant but distinct noise of the display consoles were a welcome background sound and the light was dim and soft.

 

“Just...Sorry for running out on you guys like that.” Keith paused for a moment,”And sorry you had to be there for the whole ambulance thing, it was really unprofessional of me, and I just wanna apologi-”

 

"Ya know, it's fine man." Lance smiled at Keith and leaned back away from the counter, straightening his back

Keith was set to reply when another ding sounded from the entrance. They both looked towards it and then Lance's heart was plummeting.

"Nyma..." He sid low in his throat, narrowing his eyes at her. Keith seemed to catch on because he clenched his fists subconsciously and moved closer to the counter, closer to Lance.

The blonde stalled in her steps a moment, looking Keith up and down before she continued over. Keith watched her with narrowed eyes the entire time. He could see how uncertain an uncomfortable Lance became when she walked in. He wondered how they knew each other and why that was so.

"Lancey." Nyma smiled a bit across the counter, completely ignoring Keith. Lance in turn looked like he was about to throw soemthi. Keith could see him reflexively rubbing his wrists and his stomach clenched at the implications.

"How are you?" She asked and Keith was surprised at the genuine look on her face and soft tone of her voice. Lance didn't seem phased and shrugged as a response. She nodded and took in a breath, then nodded in Keith's general direction after a short moment,"Gonna introduce me to your friend?"

Lance eyed her and shook his head,"No."

Keith was about to step forward and say something maybe but his phone rang and his eyebrows furrowed. Nobody called him unless there was an....

emergency...

He quickly pulled his phone out and swiped the lockscreen.

"Hello?" He hadn't bothered to check the caller ID.

Allura’s voice was on the other end, telling him something about short staff and her uncle from New Zealand coming to visit and something about a good impression and did he hear Shiro's voice in the background? but then she snapped him back to reality with her actual request,"We need you here. You’re.." She paused for a moment and something rustled in the background and there was murmuring the Keith couldn't quite make out-,”You're restored to your position. You can go back to the emergency unit whenever you’d like. I have to go now. Im. I'll call you back later. Please go in tonight.” And then the line dropped. Keith blinked for several minutes before the sound of Lance and Nyma bickering made him realize where he was. He turned towards the two.

“Lance,” He made sure to look him in the eyes,”I have to go now.” His face was contorted in an expression, trying to send Lance a message.

_Are you gonna be alright if I leave._

Lance blinked at him before nodding subtly,”Yeah, okay. I’ll, um…” Lance chewed on the inside of his cheek, glancing at Nyma, who was smirking between the two,”I’ll call you?”

Keith was almost taken aback by that, since they were mostly a texting pair, but he nodded anyways, backing towards the door,”Yeah. See ya.” He shot Nyma one last look before exiting RC.

“Who’s he?” Nyma turned back to Lance right away, giving him a grin. He scoffed at her, tapping his fingers idly against the cash register,”A friend. Why do you care?” His voice came out snappy, harsher than he’d ever taken it with her, and she recoiled.

 

Nyma looked as if she might bite back before her facade crumbled and she lowered her head, reaching up to cradle her face with one hand,”I’m sorry.”

Lance wasn’t really expecting that response. He didn’t really know what he was expecting. Definitely not that, though.

“I just…” She continued, sniffing and finally looking up at him,”I’m just...really sorry, okay, Lance.”

Lance crossed his arms over his chest,”Sorry for what? Stealing from me? Chaining me up in a hotel room?”

“Lance…” She looked like she was straining to hold herself together. Lance sighed and let his shoulders droop, the hard look still on his face,”What the hell are you apologizing for, huh?”

“Everything…” She admitted in a quiet voice.

Lance narrowed his eyes at her. She didn’t meet them, looking down at her hands,”I’m...You don’t understand...I was-”

“I don’t understand?” His voice was more laced with exhaustion than anything,”What exactly is it that I _don’t_ understand? That you just had to tie me to a bedpost? That you just-”

“ _Yes!_ ” She looked up then, eyes fierce,” _Yes_. I had to.”

Lance gave her a cold stare for a moment longer before it fell from his face and he pinched the bridge of his nose,”Why.”

And she seemed to hesitate at that, but then offered him a sad expression,”I was working for some bad people then, okay? I was...I was scared.”

Lance’s anger subsided almost instantly,”Who were you working for?”

“Just…” Nyma shrugged, avoiding eye contact again,”Just...some bad people.”

“Who, Nyma.” Lance leaned forward, splaying his hands on the counter and staring her down,”Tell me.”

“The Galra, okay!” She stepped back a bit, eyebrows furrowed together,”I was working for the Galra.”

Lance sucked in a breath and reached out to grab her by the wrist,”Nyma.” He breathed through gritted teeth,”Why on fuckin’-What the hell were you doing with _them_?”

“I was in a bad place, Lance!” She glared at him. “I was in a bad place. And...Rolo? He got me out of it. He’s good. He’s my older brother, ya know.”

That, Lance did not. But it wasn’t that surprising to him honestly.

He wasn’t even angry now, he was scared. The Galra were a well-known gang that ran the south side of town, where he and Nyma had met. They were...messy. They didn’t have a lot of compassion on people who disrespected them.

“Okay, Nyma.” He finally let go of her wrist, reaching up to run a hand down his face. Then he paused and looked up at her with a concerned expression,”Are you alright?” He asked. Her eyes widened for a moment before she nodded,”Yes. I’m alright. Now.”

* * *

 

It was late when they finally let up on talking and Lance’s anger and anxiety finally subsided. He was leaning against the counter and offering the girl a playful grin that she returned, her shoulders relaxed and an easy expression on her face.

“What’s up with that friend of yours for real though?” She asked, forming chinhands. Lance scoffed and turned away,”Why ya wanna know? We’re just friends.”

“Just friends my ass.” She snickered, giving him a _look._

Lance glared at her,”Don’t take that tone with me.”

“What tone? No idea what you’re talking about.” She stood up and stretched from her place against the counter. Lance huffed.

“Just…” She turned to him for a moment,”Tell him or I will.”

And she started for the door, waving with one hand.

“Um?? There’s nothing to tell?” Lance called after her, cheeks bright red.

“Mhm, see ya, Friend.” She said on her way out and Lance sighed. And then he smiled. He smiled really wide.

_Friend._

Dave was gonna love to hear all about that.


	8. Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And there they were. They weren’t twin scars under his pectorals, but there was a long scar across his collarbone that dipped just beyond the line that any shirt would expose. Keith still wondered how he would have missed something like that, especially in the loose patient scrubs Lance had worn for the better part of a week.
> 
> “When did that happen?”
> 
> Lance shrugged a little,”When I had that fall. Almost broke my neck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> : ^ ) Ask and you shall receive

So things were smoother from then on.

Keith and Lance started hanging out on a regular basis. Lance did end up calling Keith after that day and Keith had picked up with a more cheerful, albeit wary, tone.

They were at _Casa de Fuego_ now with Hunk and Pidge, after Lance had practically begged Keith to come with them, despite his protests. Keith wasn’t an outdoorsy kind of person. He prefered to stay home on his days off, but for some reason the thought of going out with Lance and his friends was…exciting. He was looking forward to it and once the time arrived, he realized he was having fun.

“So, anyways, Hunk and I, we were best friends after that.” Lance proclaimed with a shiteating grin plastered on his face.

Hunk smiled at him in turn, one eyebrow raised,”We were totally destined for each other, Bro.”

“Absolutely.” Lance grinned back at his friend, chin resting atop his palm. Keith smiled between the pair, appreciating the warmth they created when they were together. Hunk, by himself, was the embodiment of the sun, and Keith felt a little smile every time he was around.

Hunk and Keith’s first meeting was what probably instilled this in him. Lance had introduced the two and Hunk had immediately engulfed Keith in a long overdue hug, probably crushing the breath out of him, but also making him feel very peaceful and light. Keith thought, at that moment, that he really liked Hunk.

And the guy was only better the more you got to know him. He was a container of warmth and sunshine and his smiles made Keith want to return them. And he knew how to keep a conversation going too. When Keith had first arrived, he and Pidge had sort of awkwardly greeted each other, but that was long behind them as Hunk had swooped in like a hawk and stole the conversation away.

“Lance ever tell you how we met?” He’d smirked at all crowding the table. Lance had perked up at the mention and the two were now engrossed in a vivid retelling of the story.

“But of course, the teacher wasn’t gonna pass me, she was impressed by Hunk taking the heat and all, but I still flunked,” Lance sat back in his seat and shrugged,”Guess that’s a slim sacrifice to be introduced to the best friend I’ve ever had.”

“I feel special.” Pidge stuffed a fork in her mouth.

Lance grinned and ruffled her hair,”Love ya too, dork.”

Keith hadn’t really said anything the whole time they were there, just watching with mild amusement as the friends interacted. It felt...He felt...like he shouldn’t disturb it. They were all so secure in themselves and in their place in each other’s lives, he didn’t want to tip the scales. He felt like if he were to instill himself, make a place there among them, the balance would shift and everything would feel _wrong._

But then Hunk was grinning at him again,”So, tell me, was Lance or was Lance not a good patient?”

That was one thing Keith could talk about.

The nurse snorted and Lance scoffed in his direction.

“He was alright I guess.”

“Just alright?!” Lance called from his place between Pidge and Hunk,”How _dare_ you! After all we’ve been through!”

Keith gave him a small smile, eyebrows knitted together,”You literally made me drag you to a chair at one point?”

“Irrelevant.” Lance piped up, crossing his arms with a _harrumph_. Keith snorted and poked at his food,”Whatever you say.”

“Wait, wait,” Hunk chimed in,”You had to drag him to a chair, why?”

“He-”

“IRELEVANT!” Lance said louder.

Keith cleared his throat,”He was a difficult patient, to say the least.”

“Ah,” Hunk’s smile remained even through Lance’s protests in the back noise,”I understand that.”

* * *

 

They went out a lot after that- together as a group of friends. Keith liked it. He liked going out with Pidge and being close to her and seeing Hunk’s smile. But he really liked being close to Lance and sitting next to him in a booth and maybe their sides would brush and he’d feel hot all over. He knew why. He’d tried to suppress it at first, but like that was working.

Keith had a crush.

He’d probably had one since he first laid eyes on the boy with the cute unruly hair and the dimples and the beautiful- breathtaking- pair of blue eyes. Probably.

But it was getting to him now. He was always on edge when he was with Lance. And that time back in his apartment...he was sure he’d almost kissed him. And Lance hadn’t pulled away until the last second, when Pidge interrupted everything. Would he have pulled away had they been left alone? The question ate Keith alive and he pondered it every second he was with Lance. His eyes always found their way to staring at the other guy’s lips and then someone would call his name and he’d feel caught.

Lance was...something. He was nice and he was so fucking adorable, Keith had to admit. And his smiles? He had about a thousand different smiles and they were all brighter than the sun and Keith wasn’t sure he could handle being graced with them all. Keith wasn’t sure he could handle anything where Lance was involved.

Lance lost his monitor again one day, and he’d called Keith over to help him. Despite Keith’s many protests about being at work (which had become increasingly stressful since his reinstatement to the ER unit), Lance had somehow convinced him to show up during a lunch break.

“It’s somewhere?” Lance had gesticulated vaguely,”I dunno?”

Keith had sighed and gone into the kitchen, opened the dishwasher, and vala-

“Lance?”

The boy turned to face him with questioning eyes. Keith held up the monitor,”Check the dishwasher next time, maybe?”

Lance took it from him and offered the nurse a grin,”Sure thing.” Keith’s stomach fluttered.

* * *

 

One day Nyma came into RC while Lance was on shift and Keith maybe was totally looking for a videogame, but was really standing there and bickering with Lance and he made awkward eye contact with Nyma and she smiled at him in turn. When they’d met a second time, Lance had failed to tell Keith that everything was cool and Keith had been extremely rude (mind him, it was just his protective/defensive instincts). Keith and Nyma actually got along fairly well, after their second encounter. Sometimes they’d sit and chat about Pokemon (which Keith was grateful to find another enthusiast) and sometimes they’d talk about Lance. And Nyma, well Nyma was Nyma. And it was like she just _knew._

 

“When are you gonna tell him?” She’d smirk at Keith.

The nurse would scoff,”No idea what you mean.”

“Oh honey, I grew up with the gayest brother in the world, don’t test me when I say,” She’d look him up and down,”you’ve got it bad.”

 

And the worst part is he didn’t even know if it was requited. Lance was...touchy. But he was touchy with everyone. Sometimes he’d leave his hand on Keith’s when they touched at the table or something, or he’d sling his arm around Keith’s shoulders and hug him or he’d lean against his side when he was tired and Keith didn’t know how much longer he could stand the fire that burned against his skin wherever Lance touched it.

 

Only a few months ago, this guy was just a random patient, but he’d instilled himself in Keith’s life so permanently it was hard to imagine being without him. And that’s when Keith began to get scared.

* * *

 

“Hey, come back with that!” Lance called, groaning in anguish.

Him and Keith had been arguing over the color of their jackets. Sue them? Lance had pointed out that unlike Keith’s jacket, his matched the scrubs Keith wore perfectly.

“Your point?” Keith had enquired. He hadn’t bothered changing out of his work clothes.

“I’m just saying I have,” Lance gestured to Keith,” _clearly_ better fashion sense than you.”

“But I don’t care about fashion sense?”

Lance had gasped, offended and _horrified,_ ”Y-you? Don-do-? You don’t? I cannot believe this!”

Keith smirked playfully at Lance’s antics. Lance straightened again and huffed,”This is terrible.”

“I really don’t care.”

“Nonsense!” Lance started shrugging off his jacket,”Give it here.” Once it was off he made a motion for Keith’s jacket.

“Um? No?” Keith took a step back. Lance glared at him,”I’m trying to help you Keith.”

“I don’t want your help.”

“Too bad.”

“I’m not taking off my jacket.”

“It’s _red,_ Keith. Red!”

“I don’t care?!”

“Give me the jacket, Keith!” Lance took a step and Keith stepped back. They sized each other up for a second before Keith started running and Lance sped after him.

“Give it!”

“No! Leave me alone!” He called, swerving past an old lady on the street. Lance almost crashed into her and quickly apologized before continuing his chase.

“I will make you fashionable one way or another!” Lance threatened.

“Fuck off!”

 

There was a fountain up ahead, Lance noticed. His perfect opportunity. If he could just...make Keith...fall in. Then he’d have to give up his jacket, wouldn’t he? Solid plan. Good plan.

So Lance started curving his chase and eventually he caught up to almost being directly behind Keith. Keith was not having any of this, however.

“I aced long distance in gym!” Keith shot at him.

Lance scoffed,”I was on the swim team?”

“We are _running_ , Lance!”

“Same thing!”

And with that distraction, Lance pushed Keith into the fountain.

 

Maybe he didn’t exactly think it through, but there was no going back now as Keith emerged coughing and wet from hell and back. Lance took a few steps back for good measure.

“Oops.”

Keith glared up at him,” _Lance._ ”

“Yeah, buddy?”

“ _Run._ ”

 

Keith had eventually tired from chasing Lance around the downtown area and had stopped to catch his breath on a bench. He’d started shivering and that made Lance feel kind of bad. Also the fact that Keith’s phone was in his pockets but hey? The risks we all take for fashion. And not to mention that Keith had effectively thrown his wet jacket in Lance’s face, making them both shivering and cold messes.

“I swear, Lance, if I have to take a sick day because of this…” Keith hugged himself as he unlocked the car. They’d decided to go back to his apartment so he could change into dry clothes. Lance wasn’t protesting. To tell the truth, he was actually pretty interested in Keith’s home. Keith had been over countless times since his first visit to Lance and Hunk’s apartment, but Lance had never seen Keith’s. Maybe pushing Keith in a fountain wasn’t such a bad idea.

Once they arrived at the complex, Lance was trying to capture every little bit of it. The building was a three story that had a sort of cozy feel to it and there was shrubbery surrounding the main building. When they made their way up to Keith’s apartment, he had a barren porch for the most part, with a few plants but no welcome matt. Lance frowned at the sight.

And then there was a familiar meowing and Lance looked down to see a russet colored cat with beautiful golden eyes staring up at him. He gasped softly and meowed in reply. He was about to reach down and pet the cat when her ears flattened against her head. She didn’t hiss, but she glared at him.

“Keith, you never told me you had a cat?”

The man in question was flitting through his pockets, looking for his keys,”Hm? I don’t?” He didn’t turn to look at Lance.

Lance frowned and bent down next to the russet cat, reaching out with a tentative hand,”Yeah you do.” The russet cat sniffed his hand, eyeing it carefully, before leaning into the touch. Lance smiled as she began to purr and he reached behind her ears to give them a scritch. Keith found his keys then and sighed, quickly unlocking the door. He turned back to Lance and caught the scene before him.

“Oh, _that_ cat.”

“Keith, did you forget you had a cat?”

“No, it’s just,” He lets his hand fall from the doorknob and turns to fully face the two. His expression is quizzical as he watches Lance pet the cat. He watches them for a few minutes and then whispers to himself,”That’s so weird.”

“Hm?” Lance barely caught the words, too focused on the cat who was now resting in Lance’s lap.

Keith snapped out of his trance and shook his head lightly, running his fingers through his bangs,”Nothing it’s just...Red doesn’t like people.”

Lance looked up at Keith then,”Her name is Red?”

Keith nodded and leaned back against the wall adjacent his door,”That’s amazing.”

“What is?”

Keith nodded towards him and Red,”That. Red doesn’t let anyone touch her. Ya know how long it took before she’d even accept food from me?” Keith looked perplexed, his eyebrows knitted together harshly. Lance shrugged and lifted her paws, leaning down to touch noses with the russet cat,”She’s a softy, I dunno what you’re talking about.”

Keith watched the scene for a moment longer, a small smile creeping on his lips. Lance really was something. Red never took to somebody like that. She hadn’t even accepted Shiro or Allura the way she’d almost instantly trusted Lance. The smile on his face was so incredibly heart-wrenching too. He was grinning down at Red with a soft look that Keith could only guess he saved for animals, just the way Keith had one he reserved for patients. Keith felt a tug at his heartstrings when a thought entered his mind. _I wish he’d look at me like that._

 

And then he was pushing it away. “C’mon inside. I’m freezing.” He gestured towards the open door and walked inside, not waiting to see if Lance was following. Almost instantly he threw his wet jacket to the side and ran his fingers through his wet locks. By the time they’d arrived to his complex, he’d become all but subtly damp. _I really hope I have clean laundry._

* * *

 

Lance stepped into the apartment, cradling Red in his arms like a baby and rocking her gently. He smiled down at the cocoon of fur as he closed the front door with his foot. After a moment Red squirmed and he released her onto the soft carpeted floor to go do whatever. That’s when he could really take in the entirety of Keith’s apartment.

It was truly an apartment for one. There was a couch, which looked to be his primary focus area and there was a small coffee table and a laptop, and a television set with what looked like a few consoles that were half-ass set up. Cords were a common theme, it seemed, as Lance noticed they were strewn all over the tables and littering the floor. And blankets. Blankets were tossed all over the couch and there was one in a corner (he assumed for Red) and there was one sticking out of a door he could only assume was the dimly lit room Keith slept in. Lance assumed that was where Keith had disappeared to.

There was a bathroom, a little ways down the hall, he could see. Lance decided, he should probably use it. All that water hadn’t helped his case.

When he entered the bathroom, it was small and sort of warm, with a flickering overhead light and two mirrors and a single stall shower. There was a bunch of towels sitting in one corner and Keith had some soft carpeted floor mats but they were misaligned and looked like someone had tried to, albeit lazily, put them back in place. And then there was a stethoscope. Just sitting there. Lance wasn’t really surprised- the guy was a nurse- but...a stethoscope? That was random. But Lance was also curious. He reached over towards the shelf it lay on and grabbed it. Okay, so Lance didn’t know how stethoscopes worked, but he’s aim to try. He’d seen plenty of doctors on TV do the thing, he could do it, if only for fun. Lance lifted the plugs up to his ears and adjusted them. He set the drum on a few things and tried to see what would happen, but the most he got was a subtle scratching sound that came when he rustled the drum around. And so then he decided, what would happen if…

It was a bad idea. It had been the absolute worst idea, but he had said a simple “Hello?” into the drum a little too loudly and, dang, did it hurt. It hurt his ears so bad, it felt like he’d just been punched in the eardrum. He ripped them out and muttered a few _ow ow ow_ ‘s to himself before a chuckle finally made it’s way past the pain. 

 

“Really?” Keith asks.

And that's when Lance was hit with an extreme case of gay.

Keith is standing in the doorway with a shirt about halfway tugged on (it’s over his arms, but sure as hell not covering any chest) and Lance doesn’t know what to say. The nurse in question is smirking at him, giving him an amused look. And then Lance sees them. Scars.

Keith has two twin scars below each pectoral. They’re faded, but you’d have to have pretty bad eyesight to miss them.

Keith must have noticed Lance staring because his eyes follow and suddenly he’s pulling his shirt on quickly but Lance feels...something about it feels wrong and Lance reaches out a little. “Wait, hey, it’s okay.”

And Keith stalls, leaving his shirt on his arms again. He looks uncertain, not scared necessarily, but on edge. He looks like that’s something he doesn’t feel safe with and Lance doesn’t want that to continue.

“What happened?” Lance gestures towards the scars.

And Keith doesn’t look like he wants to answer, biting his lip and searching Lance’s gaze. After a moment he looks away and lowers the shirt, shrugging it off his arms. Lance has a full view of his chest now, toned and broad but also, the scars. They look like they’d be soft to the touch. They make Keith look...vulnerable? But not in a bad way. In a way that makes Lance feel things. He takes a step forward.

“They’re surgery scars.” Keith says after a long pause. His voice isn’t quite, it’s sure in what he’s saying and Lance wonders how many times he’s had to say them. He glances back up at Keith and notices his face is set in an indistinguishable expression.

“Surgery?” Lance is pretty confident he already knows the answer, but he wants to hear Keith say it.

“Top Surgery.” He shrugs, knowing Lance is probably familiar with the term. “From when I had my breasts removed.”

And Lance knows now and he lets out a breath, much more confident. “Ah,” He nods, giving him a grin, hoping to ease him up. Keith looks slightly on guard. Lance searches the other man’s face for a moment before he breathes and then looks down at his chest again,”Can I…”

Keith furrows his eyebrows in question and Lance meets his eyes again. He reaches out a little,”Can I…”

Keith doesn’t move for a moment and Lance thinks maybe he overstepped his boundaries but then he moves the shirt to drape over one arm,”Sure.”

 

And Lance is suddenly feeling a lot of things. Probably too many things. His hands find the soft ridges of the scar beneath Keith’s left pectoral and trace it up into the half moon arc it follows. He lets himself relax and so does Keith, his body shifting from rigid to malleable. Lance’s hands are tracing both scars, his head lowered and his eyes laser focused on the area but then he lets them wander. Just a little. And suddenly Lance is enraptured by everything. Up close, Keith is something completely different. His skin is soft to the touch and there’s a warmth about him that makes Lance feel light inside and he lets one hand move up to glide over his collarbone and feel how it curves against the palm. Keith sucks in a breath, as if Lance’s hands are ice against his fiery skin and Lance presses his lips together, maybe to prevent his own sigh.

 

And it’s intimate. It’s intimate in a way that makes Lance afraid to break the contact, but also afraid for it to last any longer.

But it doesn’t.

 

Keith leans forward and their chests brush a little -fabric against bare skin- and reaches around Lance and-

Keith is smirking at him now,”What were you doing with this?” He holds the stethoscope up and Lance scoffs, stepping back a little and crossing his arms. The feeling of Keith’s chest against his hands is still fresh in his memory.

Keith’s grin widens and he dangles the scope in the air,”Wanna play doctor?”

* * *

  


And that’s how Lance took that comment completely seriously (“Oh no...Doctor Keith...I’m _DYING_!”) and now they were playing doctor.

 

“This is stupid.”

“You’re stupid.” Lance interjected, having settled himself on the couch with Keith sitting cross-legged behind him. “Just check my vitals, Doctor Keith.”

Keith blinks at him for a moment before deadpanning,”Look good enough.”

“What kind of doctor are you?!” Lance snaps his head back to glare at Keith, who simply shrugs in return. Lance scoffs,”Just gonna let me...rot away...I could have a cold, Keith! A cold!”

“If you have a cold, take cold medicine, Oh my God?” Keith furrows his eyebrows at Lance’s back.

“Not...breathing…” Lance clutches at his chest dramatically, inhaling improperly. Keith groans and slides one hand down his face before picking up the stethoscope,”Whatever, just. Okay.” Keith takes in a harsh breath and lets it out in a sigh.

 

He puts the buds in his ears and adjusts the scope before pressing the drum to Lance’s back, closing his eyes,’Breathe in.” And so Lance does. And it feels so familiar. It feels just like that first day they’d met and Keith had checked his vitals and he’d smiled at him and his hands had been soft and, even with a shirt now covering his chest, Lance can feel the brush of it against him.

 

“Again.” And Keith’s voice is softer now too.

After a moment he hums a little,”Ya know,” He removes the buds from his ears,”there’s a reason I didn’t become an EMT...or a doctor.”

Lance perks up slightly, turning his head a bit to listen,”What happened?”

Keith shrugs, fiddling with the buds on the stethoscope,”It’s just…” He looks away, seeming to try and collect his thoughts. There’s a long and drawn out silence until finally,”Shiro had already finished med school and everything by the time I was even thinking about entering. He was a prodigy student. His intern years went by fast, and he was always talking about how great it was and.” Keith paused.

“Well...he made it seem so great, and I wanted to,” Keith bit his lip, letting his hands fall into his lap,”I just really wanted to help people.”

“You _do_ help people.”

“I finished med school and started interning for Shiro in my early twenties.” Keith was staring at his hands now, fiddling with the drum of the scope and avoiding eye contact,”It was great. I was gonna be a doctor.”

“And then the accident happened. And...Shiro was supposed to be home,” He narrowed his eyes and lowered his head a little more, his bangs hiding the expression on his face,”And I realized I really wasn’t prepared for any of that.”

They both sat in their equal silence for a moment before Keith continued,”But I’d already gotten the degree, it’d be such a waste. I tried looking into EMT work some more, but I just couldn’t deal with it. So I just...I started nursing.” He shrugged,”I guess I’ve gotten better, since I work in the ER unit but, it’s still...scary. It’s still kind of terrifying.”

Lance leaned back against Keith a little and sighed,”I understand that.” Keith let out his own tension and relaxed.

“Allura’s Uncle is coming to visit soon,” Keith broke the silence, looking up at the ceiling.

“Isn’t Allura your boss?”

“Yeah.” Keith confirmed,”Coran? Her Uncle. He’s coming soon. He’s the real owner of Altea, but he gave all the responsibility to Allura when...He just couldn’t bear being around after Alfor passed.”

“That’s understandable.” Lance hummed.

“He was instated as Chief of Medicine, but he gave up that title as well. He only visits occasionally. It was hard on him and...seeing Allura is always hard for him. He sees her father in her.”

Lance hummed again,”You told me she reinstated you in the ER unit a while back.”

Keith nodded,”Yeah.”

“How are you doing?”

 

Keith thought for a moment. How _was_ he doing? He didn’t really know. He hadn’t bothered to stop and think about it. He’d been so ecstatic to have his old position back and to be in a familiar wing of the hospital again. He’d been happy. But he’d also been extremely stressed. Along with his reinstatement came the screaming once more. The screaming and he blood on his hands and the fear and-

Lance reached back and grasped one of Keith’s hands,”You doing okay?”

And Keith realized that he was. He was doing okay. He was okay because Shiro was still there and Pidge smiled at him now. He had a million smiles to replace the tears and anger on her face. And Lance? He had Lance. But that still...that still scared him a little.

 

“I’m okay.”

 

“Ya know, you told me once that you got bullied as a kid, and you broke your arm. It made you want to be an EMT.” Keith hummed, picking the stethoscope back up,”You never told me why.”

“Told you why what?”

“Why you got bullied.”

Lance shrugged, suddenly tense,”I mean, yeah I did. I told you it was ‘cause of my big mou-”

“No, not that. You hesitated.” Keith glanced up at him,”You didn’t finish your sentence.”

Lance turned back around to face away from Keith, shrugging again,”Just. It was…” Lance sighed,”I got bullied a lot as a kid because...of my sexuality.”

Lance felt Keith shift against him, moving around on the couch,”Ah.”

“That’s it. ‘Ah’. You’re not gonna get all awkward on me?”

Keith snorted,”No? Why would I get awkward on you?” His voice was laced with genuine confusion, and then he added with nonchalance,”Besides, I’m gay.”

Lance coughed. Loudly.

“Are you alright?”

“Just _fine_. I’m fine!”

“You sure?”

“Yeah!” Lance recovered, clearing his throat. He didn’t turn to face Keith. “Cool. Nice. You’re gay.”

“What’re you?”

“What am I?”

“Yeah, what’re you?”

“What am I what?” Lance turned slightly to blink at him.

Keith deadpanned,”Are you gay, are you…?” He left the question in the air.

“Oh! I’m...a I’m…” He pauses, shifting,”I’m bi.”

“Ah, figures.” Keith leans back against the couch, closing his eyes to rest them temporarily.

“What’dya mean, _figures_??” Lance scoffed at him, craning his neck to look over his shoulder at the nurse.

Keith shrugged,”You do _finger guns_ , Lance. _Finger guns_.”

And maybe Keith had a point.

 

And so they continued their little game of doctor. But now it was a lot more interesting. Keith was letting his fingers wander over the ridge of Lance’s spine, feeling the way it stood out against his skin. Lance shivered against the touch, his head bowed and focusing on his hands.

“Ya know,” Lance hummed after a while,”I have a few scars of my own. Wanna see?” He breathed, barely a whisper as he said the words. Keith paused his hands for a moment and neither of them moved. Lance was beginning to think he overstepped again but then Keith shifted against him and moved away,”Yeah.”

Lance turned to face him, both cross-legged on the couch and moving to get more comfortable,”Okay.” Lance reached down to the rim of his shirt, lifting it up. He paused, glancing back up to assure that Keith was fine and everything was fine and they were all...fine. And then he lifted his shirt over his head and shrugged it off.

And there they were. They weren’t twin scars under his pectorals, but there was a long scar across his collarbone that dipped just beyond the line that any shirt would expose. Keith still wondered how he would have missed something like that, especially in the loose patient scrubs Lance had worn for the better part of a week.

“When did that happen?”

Lance shrugged a little,”When I had that fall. Almost broke my neck.”

 

Keith looked between Lance and the scar for a moment before he wet his lips, breathed in, and reached out to touch the jagged line crossing his skin. It felt smooth but different than the skin Keith had grown used to feeling against his own. He shifted slightly, moving closer. He lay his hand flat against Lance’s collarbone and let it slide up a little. His hand slowly found it’s way up and snaked around Lance’s neck and through the bottom curls of his hair. Keith swallowed and lifted his eyes a little.

Lance was staring at him. His mouth was open a little and his eyes were wide, almost expectant. They made eye contact and…

Keith moved closer again. His hand traveled up Lance’s neck slowly, inching over his jaw and then towards his ear, fingers once against tangling in his hair as one thumb rested on Lance’s cheek. The boy in turn, shuddered a little. He didn’t pull away though.

“Ya know,”Keith started, an uncertain look on his face before it faded and he was leaning in a little,”There’s a little bit missing from both of us I guess.” He grinned, cheeks heating up.

Lance could feel Keith’s breath against his lips and he replied quickly, eyes unfocused,”How ‘bout we make ourselves whole again.”

 

Lance didn’t have to say it twice. Keith’s lips were on his before the words had finished leaving his mouth. Lance fell back against the couch with a not so subtle grunt and Keith took care not to put his weight all on Lance as he leaned forward as well, desperate not to break the contact they’d barely achieved.

And Lance’s lips were soft. Keith sighed into the kiss. It was chaste and simple and just a light brush at most, but it was fulfilling. But then he breathed in a little through his nose and pressed harder. Lance leaned back up with equal force.

Things got heated quickly. Keith was pretty much taking every opportunity to run his hands over Lance’s chest and back and shoulders and aahh, so much else. He couldn’t get enough of it. The poor guy was touch starved enough and he craved the warmth he received when his hands met Lance’s skin. And then there was the way Lance kissed him.

Lance wasn’t a sloppy kisser. Passionate, maybe, but not sloppy. He’d taken a moment to lift his arms and weave them around Keith’s neck, pulling himself up and tilting them back a little. His lips crashed against Keith’s again with a force that only gave way to desperation. Keith at some point, let his hands fall to Lance’s hips, gripping them in place firmly and rubbing circles where they were placed. Lance made a sound that Keith could only assume was good. His breath was hot against Keith’s lips and he felt fire everywhere and everything was amazing and...and…

 

Keith suddenly felt scared again.

 

He tensed and pushed Lance back a little, eyes wide and panting breaths. Lance was panting too and he looked disoriented, blinking for a moment before giving Keith a concerned look.

“Hey...What’s wrong?” He sounded a little scared too.

And Keith didn’t know what was wrong. He just knew he was scared. He was scared because...He really liked Lance. And he was terrified of losing him. He was terrified of coming home one day and waiting with a cup of tea, the other one sitting idle and cold on the table. He was so fucking _scared._

Lance had moved away at this point, shrugging his shirt back on,”Keith…?”

Keith thought, later, that he’d started having a panic attack at that moment. But he’d never be sure. His thoughts won’t process and he looks paler than usual and his eyes are wide, so wide with some unspoken fear.

“I’m sorry, It’s just...I…” Keith tries to have the words come out, but they fall flat on his tongue,”I’m sorry, Lance.”

Lance reaches out a little, maybe to give him some reassurance, but he pulls his hand back, a look of uncertainty on his face,”I should go.”

“Lance…” Keith sighs. His hands are carding through his hair, his face obscured and his shoulders hunched.

“No, it’s fine, I get it. I understand.” Lance has a smile in his voice, but it’s frail. Keith doesn’t look up to see his expression.

Lance is heading towards the door and Keith wish he had the proper means to stop him.

 

“Please...don’t go. You don’t have to go.”

 

Lance smiles uncertainly back at him and it wavers on his lips, the door already open,”No, it’s alright. It’s probably best...if I go.”

And all Keith hears is the door close behind him and he falls back against the couch, palms over his eyes.

  
“Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So anyways this is gonna be a 10 chapter fic!


	9. Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’re fine...Y-you’re okay…” He ran one of his hands through Lance’s hair soothingly.
> 
>  
> 
> And he was scared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is super short aaaa anyways there's descriptions of vomiting, so if that's eeee for you, just a warning!

Keith didn’t move for a long while after that. He just laid there on the couch with his palms over his eyes and his breathing slowly coming back to normal.

And he regretted it. He regretted every second of it. Except of course, the part where they’d kissed. And it was _amazing_. God, it was amazing! And he’d gone and ruined it because of his stupid fears and his anxiety about getting too close to someone. His nightmares about losing people.

Eventually, he knew he’d have to get up. He always did. He had to get up and go about his life and…

He’d have to talk to Lance.

But not yet. Not today. He’d spend the rest of the day trying to calm himself; he’d curl up on the couch and put on a show and just...rest. It’s all he could do for now.

And then when he got a call from Shiro the next day, he almost didn’t answer it. When the ringing became insesent, Keith groaned and picked himself up off the couch where he’d slept and reached over for his phone. He swiped it and held the device up to his ear,”Hell-”

“Keith?!”

The worried yell made him flinch and he held the phone away from him for a moment,”What?”

There was a sigh on the other end,”Good. You’re okay. Fuck, Keith you had me so worried.”

“Why?”

“You’re never late.”

And he wasn’t. Keith was never late to work. He suddenly looked up at the clock and noticed how late it was. Almost one in the afternoon.

Fuck.

So Keith stood up and sucked in a breath, sounding tireder than he’d ever had,”Yeah, uh, I know. I’m sorry for worrying you. I must have slept in.”

Shiro didn’t seem convinced,”You never sleep in.”

Keith didn’t really feel like voicing what was actually bothering him and just grunted,”I know.”

* * *

 

Lance showed up to work late that day. He was late often, but this time he hadn’t even called ahead and made up some exotic story about _why_ he was late. He’d just crawled over to the front counter and sighed, plopping his head onto it.

Lance was feeling really...shitty. To say the least. He was probably feeling a lot shittier than he’d felt in a long time.

And it showed.

Dave and Nyma were in a corner of the store, talking about a certain video game delightedly, when Lance had walked in. More like dragged his tired limbs through the door with a loud and obnoxious groan. Nyma had given him a confused and sort of faintly amused look, before a scowl presented itself on her face.

“What’s wrong, Boo?” She approached, a smile creeping onto her face as she crossed her arms and watched him groan in response.

“Nothing.” He mumbled into the crook of his elbow.

“Yeah, sure.” She snorted and Lance groaned loudly again, tucking his head even further into his arms.

“Talk to me.” She prompted.

“What if I don’t wanna.” Lance’s monotone voice broke through, muffled still.

Nyma shrugged,”Talk to me anyways. C’mon, I’ll listen. What’s wrong?”

 

Dave was leaning against a shelf a little ways away, watching the two with mild interest. His eyebrows were quirked up and the worry showed slightly on his face, but other than this, he didn’t intervene. He knew when Lance needed to just sulk.

“I’m not leaving until you talk to me.”

Lance didn’t respond after that, but then he lifted his head begrudgingly and glared at Nyma,”Fine.”

* * *

 

“Me and Keith? I guess...um...I dunno, maybe I read the situation wrong.”

Lance and Nyma were sitting together on the floor near the PS4 games.

“Sounds to me like he was just a little scared.”

Lance shrugged and pulled his knees to his chest,”I don’t know.”

“Well...talk to him.”

* * *

 

Lance started feeling a little weird a little bit after that. He didn’t know why but his stomach wasn’t really holding down food that well and he felt….he felt off.

But he ignored it and continued about his life. Keith didn’t text or call him after that day and that was sort of soul crushing but he figured the guy needed his space. He wouldn’t push.

And maybe Lance forgot to wear his socks a few times too, without Keith to yell at him about it. And he never left them off when Hunk or Pidge were around, but when he was by himself and he didn’t want to get out of bed, he’d kick them off and he didn’t have the energy to find wherever they’d gone. He felt a little guilty about that.

And he’d even forgotten to take his blood glucose until the last second one day. He felt a little guilty about that too, since Keith had gone through all the trouble to help him and make sure he stayed on top of everything.

But the weird feeling stayed and eventually it had gotten worse and to the point where he couldn’t even manage to get up and get dressed. He was sitting there in a tee shirt and boxers, the phone ringing and massaging his temple.

“Dave? Hey, yeah. I, uh. I can’t come in today.” There was a pause and then Lance sighed, releasing his temple from the massage assault,”Yeah, I feel like absolute shit. I’m sorry.”

So Hunk had left him with a little pat on the shoulder and he’d been left to his own devices. Not really though, since he could hardly get out of bed. He’d somehow wandered over to the couch and collapsed upon it. He shivered. Everything was cold. The heater was on, but he was still cold.

He sat on the couch for a while longer, resting his eyes and his legs and his arms and everything. He thought about things. He thought about the kiss he’d shared with Keith. He thought about the way the nurse had pressed ever closer, as if he hadn’t wanted to break away even for a moment. And he also thought about how he’d pushed him away.

But his thoughts were interrupted by a sudden surge of nausea. He stood abruptly, making his way towards the bathroom. He’d flung the door open and fell towards the toilet.

But he hadn’t been able to eat, really, and he just dry heaved for about twenty minutes before his stomach couldn’t clench anymore and he lay panting against the porcellian.

“What in...death the beets…”

At least he could still joke. But he reached up and felt his head, not able to tell the difference between his burning hands and the fire of his forehead. He didn’t know what was wrong.

But he’d be fine.

Lance sucked in a few more breaths before steadying himself on his feet and turning to go back to his place on the couch. He took one step. Swayed. Looked at himself in the mirror.

And collapsed.

* * *

 

 

“You got this, Keith.” The nurse huffed, psyching himself up, tapping on the steering wheel of his car. He was waiting at a stop light, the one that would turn onto Lance’s street.

“Be cool.”

He was going to apologize. It’d been a few days since he last talked to Lance, since they’d kissed, and the guilt of pushing him away was just eating and eating at Keith the entire time.

The light turned green and Keith stepped on the gas.

He made his way towards Lance’s door and sucked in breath of determination. He raised his hand. He knocked.

He knocked again after a few moments,”Lance?” He faintly called. After there was no response, he bit his lip and looked away,”I know you’re probably still mad...just…” He sighed.

Keith pulled out his phone and swiped it. Maybe Lance wasn’t home. Yeah, that was it.

 

He went to the group chat- Lance, Hunk, Pidge, Keith- and scrolled through all the recent messages. It was all just Pidge and Hunk telling each other where to meet for Pidge’s appointment. Lance hadn’t replied to the chat in...a while. And Lance always replied. And maybe Keith hadn’t responded to the chat since that day, but he’d still read the texts sent and he knew that Lance was staying home sick from work today and…

 

**_> Guys _ **

**_> Where’s Lance?_ **

_ > Hey Keith!!!!! _

_ >Where ya been? _

_ >You haven’t been replying dude _

_ >we miss ya _

_ >we as in me and pidge _

**_> im okay wheres lance_ **

_ >woah woah slow down _

_ >uuuhhh _

_ >home? _

**_> No _ **

_ >how do you know? _

**_> I’m here he’s not home_ **

**_> where is he?_ **

_ >Dude he’s definitely there _

_ > he’s been deathly ill for a while _

_ >think he has a stomach bug _

_ >idk _

_ >keith? _

_ >keith???????????? _

_ >whered u go _

 

Keith was staring at his phone and there was a ringing in his ears. His eyes darted up to the door and he shoved the phone back in his pocket before turning to jingle the knob,”Lance?!”

There was no reply.

He had a sinking feeling in his gut.

“Lance, I’m coming in.” He said to no one in particular. He stood back a little and lifted his leg, giving a few harsh kicks before he shoved it open with his shoulder. He’d pay for the damages, Keith made a mental note.

He didn’t see Lance right away. The place looked barren, but just as nice and warm as it usually was. But Keith wasn’t convinced yet. He wound his way through the house, looking in the kitchen, the living room, the-

 

“Lance…”

 

His suspicions had been correct.

 

And now he was scared. He was so so scared. Flashbacks.

 

All he saw was Matt’s face and then tears on Pidge’s cheeks and he was scared. His fists were clenched at his sides and he took a little step back.

 

But he couldn’t afford to be scared right now.

 

Keith rushed over and kneeled beside the fallen form of Lance’s body. He took two fingers to his neck and wrist, confirming his pulse. He bent down and places one ear above his heart. Lance groaned a bit and Keith sighed in relief. He looked at his face, reaching up to pat Lance’s cheek. He didn’t look too good.

“Hey, Lance...Lance, can you hear me?” Lance’s eyes were firmly shut and Keith wondered how much pain he was probably in. He wondered if he could even feel a thing.

And Keith knew what it was. He should have known this would happen sooner or later. And he had, but it was shoved to the back of his mind and he’d conveniently forgotten.

 

Diabetic Ketoacidosis.

 

“Lance, stay with me here, okay?” He could see how he scrunched his eyebrows together in pain and Keith felt like his heart was being ripped out that he couldn’t just take it away.

“You’re fine...Y-you’re okay…” He ran one of his hands through Lance’s hair soothingly.

 

And he was scared.

 

On the inside, he was sure he was suppressing the onset of a panic attack. His hands were fidgety and he had to resist the urge to hyperventilate and just...curl up in the fetal position until it passed. He didn’t have that kind of time.

“Fuck, what do I do, what do I do…” His mind was blanking and he was getting more panicked and,”Lance, it’s okay, you’re fine, you’re gonna be alright, I’ll...I’ll…”

A hand somehow found it’s way to the one that Keith wasn’t currently busying through Lance’s locks and gripped it firmly. Keith looked down at his fingers and then at Lance’s face. He had his eyes half cracked open, but quickly shut one. There was a weak smile on his face,”It’s okay, Keith. I...uh…” He seemed to be struggling to regain his thought process and squeezed Keith’s hand again.

“Remember that I...I trust you with my life? 'Cause I...I still do.”

 

Keith stared down at him with the edge of pinprick tears in his eyes and nodded blankly,”Yeah.” He croaked and Lance laughed weakly before his face turned pained again and he rolled over and started coughing, another dry heaving fit taking over.

 

And Keith came back to reality.

  
“Yeah.” Keith confirmed and got up onto his knees, steadying Lance with one hand on his back and the other reaching for his phone,”You’re gonna be alright, Lance. Remember the EMTs? You’re gonna get to see them again real soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter, again, sorry for how short this is! I really only needed this chapter as a transition between Chap 8 and 10.


	10. Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Stay.”
> 
>  
> 
> Keith frowned and tried to push past the older man and towards the gurney,”Let me through.”
> 
> “No.” Shiro pushed him back by the chest, his gaze stern now,”He’ll be fine.”
> 
> Keith glared up at the man for a long time. His eyes held hidden meaning. He tried to tell Shiro everything in that moment, with his eyes. Don’t. He glared harder. Don’t do this to me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! I wasn't really satisfied with this, but I guess it will have to do. I hope it's good! I didn't reread it so there's probably tons of mistakes, I'm sorry.

Keith insisted that he ride in the ambulance beside Lance once the EMTs arrived. They were from Altea and knew him, so they’d obliged right away. Maybe because Keith was glaring but also maybe because they knew he was the Head Nurse at Altea.

When they’d gone to lift him up in the cloth-like carrier they used, Keith had snapped at them to be gentle and he’d felt a little embarrassed when they gave him a quizzical look. He needed to cool his head soon.

Everything was bumpy and shaky, too much so for Keith’s comfort and being inside the subject of his fear wasn’t really helping him, but he was too distracted to really acknowledge everything affecting his senses at that moment in time. He wrung his hands a bit, he let the tension build up in his shoulders. All he needed to do was last a little longer.

He was still shaking a little, arms pressed firmly against his sides as he rubbed at them mindlessly. He was sitting down beside the gurney Lance was in. They’d given him an oxygen mask despite Lance’s protests that he didn’t need to _breathe_ , he needed to _hurl_ . He wanted to throw up. Now. _Right now._

But they’d given it to him anyways and Keith had tried to calm him, shush him a little. He ran his hands through Lance’s hair, trying to set aside the fact that he could feel how sweaty they were and sending a telepathic apology to Lance. One of his legs was jittering restlessly and his breathing was far from even. _Calm down. Calm down now Keith._

“You’re fine, Lance. Shush. Shush.” Keith’s eyes were tired and foggy at the edges as he recited the words over and over to Lance. The ride was taking far too long for comfort. He was on edge. He wanted so desperately to ride Lance of the pain he was in already. “We’re almost there.”

Lance opened his eyes a little and his breaths were coming out erratically. He seemed distressed,”K-keith.”

Keith could barely hear him through the oxygen mask but he squeezed Lance’s hand.

Keith looked up to one EMT who was managing a drip. “Hey.”

The EMT turned around and blinked at Keith, fixing one of the latex gloves that had been sliding up his wrist,”Yeah, Kogane?”

Keith looked around wearily,”Feels longer for some reason.” He muttered before shaking his head and dragging a hand down his face,”Uh. How much longer?”

"We’re pulling up right now.” Came the voice from whoever had been driving.

Keith, despite the nurses and doctors that tried to hold him back, pushed his way to stay beside the gurney and help roll Lance in. The doors broke open and suddenly Keith’s panic was rising.

He was in Altea. He was in Altea and Lance was in a gurney and...and Shiro was walking towards him.

Shiro strode over confidently. His eyes landed on Lance and washed over him with calculating eyes. He didn’t seem worried, which made Keith’s nerves settle a little. But then he met Keith’s eyes. Dead on. And his expression changed.

 

“Keith?”

 

And Keith really didn’t have an excuse for himself. It wasn’t like he was supposed to be at work but also, why did he just come in with a bunch of nurses and doctors from the emergency wing ambulance corridors? Why was he _here_?

But there wasn’t really time for that. Keith wanted Lance to get hooked up and treated right away. As soon as possible. Anything to wipe the pained expression off his face.

“Shiro.” Keith walked the few extra feet to his older brother,”Shiro...I...Uh…”

“Why did you come in with them, Keith?” He sounded simply curious, but Keith shook his head despite this. He didn’t have time.

Keith turned back to glance at the gurney and made a motion. He pushed at Shiro’s back and made them move forward. They could talk and walk, the wheels of the gurney following after them.

“I don’t want to be questioned right now. We have to get him treatment.”

“Keith, he’ll get treated, alright. He’ll be fi-”

“I know!” Keith let his hand fall from Shiro’s back and he pulled absently at his locks of hair,”I know.”

“What’s wrong, Keith.” It wasn’t really a question, more of a bland statement that left a heavy feeling in the air and bitterness in Keith’s throat.

 

What _was_ wrong?

 

And he didn’t really know. He knew that Lance was going to be fine. He was here and he was going to get help and he was going to be fine.

So why didn’t Keith feel fine?

“Later.” Shiro suddenly put one hand on Keith’s shoulder and squeezed, walking past him and motioning for the nurses surrounding Lance.

Keith nodded and started to follow but a hand on his chest stopped him. He blinked up at Shiro, who was giving him a searching look, eyebrows furrowed.

 

“Stay.”

 

Keith frowned and tried to push past the older man and towards the gurney,”Let me through.”

“No.” Shiro pushed him back by the chest, his gaze stern now,”He’ll be fine.”

Keith glared up at the man for a long time. His eyes held hidden meaning. He tried to tell Shiro everything in that moment, with his eyes. _Don’t._ He glared harder. _Don’t do this to me._

But if Shiro could feel the plea in the way Keith was breathing then he didn’t show it because he raised the hand from his chest and gave Keith’s cheek a pat. _No._

Keith’s fragile composure broke then and his eyes widened frantically as the nurses turned away again. “No! No, wait.” Keith rushed past Shiro before his brother could stop him. He approached Lance carefully, gently shoving past a few nurses with his shoulders. They backed away.

“Hey. Lance? Buddy?” He reached out and grabbed Lance’s hand and almost sighed when he felt the pressure returned,”You’re fine. I can’t be with you right now but trust me. You’re fine.”

“Kei-ith. Don’t…” Lance had opened his eyes again, they were watery, from pain or fear Keith didn’t know. “Don’t let them stick needles in me.”

Keith’s face fell and contorted into one of sadness, his frown was ever present and Lance noticed it. “Lance…”

“Keith, I don’t want…” Lance sucked in and his fear showed clear as day,”I don’t wanna get stabbed. I don’t like it.”

“I’ll…” Keith didn’t know what to say and he knew he couldn’t do anything,”I…”

Keith could feel Shiro tugging at his shoulders now, backing him away. He struggled to stay, hands still on Lance’s. “I’ll,” Keith was frantic, trying to say something. Trying to say anything that would keep him there longer,“I’ll be here. I’ll…I’m sorry, I..I’ll”

And then Shiro ripped him away and Keith was standing there with his hands outstretched and a downtrodden look on his face. Shiro was turning him, he thought, as he felt himself moving and then he was face to face with his brother again. He glared.

Shiro searched Keith’s face again,”He’ll be fine.” The older man’s gaze softened only a little as he patted one of Keith’s shoulders before squeezing them,”You need to focus on yourself right now.”

And Keith knew he was right, even if he didn’t want to think so.

Keith was still edging a panic attack at the moment, hands shaking and eyes blown wide and breaths uneven. His hair was sticking out in strands all over the place and goodness was he sweaty. He didn’t even notice until now that he was sweating so so much. It was now apparent that the hospital wasn’t just uncharacteristically cold, he was wet.

“Okay.”

 

* * *

 

So Keith was sitting in the cafeteria and sipping on a cup of tea. Maybe that wasn’t the best drink of choice,  considering the situation, but it was calming even now.

And he was alone with his thoughts.

He’d eventually stopped hyperventilating and his shaking had calmed enough to where he was able to even make the tea so there was that. His thoughts were still a jumbled mess, however, and he wasn’t sure exactly how to address them.

Pidge.

He needed to call Pidge.

So he pulled out his phone, swiped the screen, and had her on speed dial.

"Keith?”

A sigh of relief escaped him. “Katie.”

“Keith! Oh thank God. Hey,” There was something muffled and Keith thought he heard Hunk crying in the background but wasn’t really surprised by that,”Yeah, Hunk, he’s fine. Hunk please. Hunk, stop he’s fine.”

Keith waited, swirling the tea in his cup while Pidge continued to reassure Hunk that he was fine.

“Okay, sorry, I’m back. What happened?” She said once Hunk had been sated,”We were pretty worried when you stopped replying to the chat.”

Ah. He’d forgotten about that as soon as Hunk had mentioned Lance was sick.

“Sorry for worrying you guys.” Keith rubbed at his temple,”Just...Hey, I forgot until now but I’m gonna pay for breaking the door by the way, if you can tell Hunk.”

“The…” There was a silence and then more muffled talking before Hunk was on the phone with a screaming Pidge in the background (“It’s _my_ phone!”),”What happened? I’m not home yet and Pidge says something happened to the door? Why is it damaged? Also where’s Lance?”

“I...broke it.” Keith said after a long pause,”I mean, I broke it getting in. I’m sorry.”

“Getting _in_?” Hunk sounded on the edge of freaking out,”Why???”

“Well, see, you said Lance was sick,” Keith leaned back in his chair,”Lance was having a ketoacidosis episode and he didn’t know it.”

“A what??” Pidge was back on the phone.

Keith felt nervous all of a sudden. Yeah, he’d explained that whole thing to Lance in the lessons but...guess maybe he should have been there for him.

And he knew he should have been there for him. Not because it was his job. But because Lance was his _friend._

Keith’s heart, now just starting to calm down, was erratic again.

Lance was his friend.

His friend.

“Keith?”

Keith came back to reality, Pidge’s voice coming through worriedly in the speaker of his phone. He sucked in a huge breath and ran one hand through his bangs.

“Yeah, uh. He’s fine. He’ll be fine.”

Keith remembered why he called.

“I just...need...someone.” The nurse stumbled over his words, not exactly knowing where he was going with everything but it was too late to change his mind now,”Right now.”

There was more awkward sounding movement on the other side of the line and Keith’s heart started to drop a little but then Pidge answered,”I get you. I’m here.”

Keith sighed in relief and let his shoulders droop,”Thanks.”

* * *

 

If Keith had been awake, he didn’t know it. And well, he was awake now at least. Was that a thing? HIs hair was tousled every which way and he was trying to focus in on his surroundings.

 

Ah, he was on the floor.

 

He guessed that during some part of the night (It was night?) he’d fallen asleep talking to Pidge.

The little gremlin could talk, that’s for sure. Keith didn’t even know _how_ she did it. He was sitting there for most of the evening stumbling over his words but she flew gracefully through her sentences and left Keith to simply listen and make an affirmative noise every now and then.

And it had been nice. It had been solid and good and it had made the shaking stop and Keith remembered at one point he’d even...relaxed a little.

And apparently he’d gotten so relaxed he’d fallen asleep.

 

And now he was on the floor.

 

He guessed he must have fallen out of the chair, probably sleeping at some odd angle, and that had woken him up. Not that he’d ever figure it out or that it mattered that much but his ass did kind of hurt from hitting the tile.

And his phone was laying skewed on the table, dead.

Okay so they had talked for a _really_ long time, after all.

Keith stood up then and rubbed at his back, rolling his shoulders and popping everything back into place. This elicited a yawn from him but he stifled it and grabbed his phone, shoving it in his sweatshirt pocket.

He rubbed at his eyes once again with the palms of his hands and then blinked rapidly.

 

Lance.

 

Keith knew he shouldn’t, but not like that had stopped him before.

He’d snuck out of the cafeteria and glanced down the hall, noticing how the lights were dimmed as it was probably really early in the morning. He’d tiptoed out and made sure not to close the door too heavily as he started down the hall, hands shoved in his pockets. He was headed towards the emergency wing.

And it didn’t take long to find the room Lance was in, the lights off as he slept. Keith walked past several nurses who gave him looks of concern as he stared through the glass. He wanted to go inside. And he was about to when a voice sounded behind him.

“What’re you doing up so early.”

Keith recognized the voice a few heartbeats later and the tension and excuses that had flooded him soon melted away as he turned to face Carol.

Carol. The one person he knew he could always rely on in his staff. She might have been Shiro’s assistant, but she was Keith’s friend.

He offered her a small smile that disappeared instantly,”Hey.”

“I asked you a question~” Carol set one hand on her hip and batted her eyelashes, reaching out to pat Keith’s cheek. He leaned away from the touch and swatted at her hand. She chuckled and drew it back,”I heard about what happened. From Shiro. He wanted to know why you were freaking out.”

“As if he thought you knew?” Keith quirked one eyebrow.

“As if he thought I’d tell him.” She walked up to stand beside him, and looked through the glass with a soft gaze.

Keith turned too, and leveled his eyes on her face. She was good to him. Far better than he was to her. She was the first friend he’d made at the hospital. They’d both been interns together. She’d approached him even though he’d glared daggers back. She’d welcomed him into her world.

And Keith always pushed her out of his.

The soft beeping of monitors floated down the halls and made for an uneasy silence.

“You like him.” She offered and Keith whipped his head to the side, pouting.

“Shut up.”

“Ooo, that’s a yes.”

Their light relationship seemed to return and Keith’s shoulders visibly relaxed as he let a smile rest on his lips, turning back to the window.

“I guess I do.”

“That’s why.” She crossed her arms and nodded.

“That’s why?”

Carol turned to him with a light smirk and wiggled her eyebrows. Before Keith could respond, however, she started walking down the hall, passing him with a hand on is shoulder,”Anyways, I’ll see you later. You should tell him.”

Keith stared at the door for what seemed forever, simply glaring at the door handle. He just had to open it. And walk inside. And walk over and reach out and.

Keith ran one hand down his face. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know what he wanted to do. Or to say. Or to…

But he steeled himself despite this and reached out for the handle, turning it. The metal was cold against his hands and only then did he see that he was wearing his jacket thrown lazily over scrubs he’d been wearing from earlier yesterday, before he’d decided to go check on Lance. He felt like shit, he’d be honest. He was sure he looked it too. He was positive he’d taken the jacket off at one point though, and wondered when it’d been pulled back on. He assumed Shiro had something to do with it.

Bracing himself, he opened the door. The subtle warmth of the inside of the room was completely different than the cold of the hallways. It was dimmer in the room, but there were still lights on, the brightness at a maximum low. He didn’t turn as he shut the door softly behind him and let go of the handle, hands wrung out behind his back, hidden as he rubbed at his wrists.

 

There was Lance.

 

He looked like he was sleeping, or at least faking it. The monitor beside him showed the even beating of his heart and Keith let his guard down little, taking the first step forward. He shuffled, quietly as he could, towards the edge of the bed and peered over. Lance’s face wasn’t contorted in pain, as it had been once he was guided away by Shiro earlier. Instead, his eyebrows lay comfortable on his forehead and his lips were in a soft straight line. Keith let himself soften at the sight and everything seemed to become a little lighter.

 

Lance was alright.

 

Keith allowed a quiet sigh to escape his lips as he settled down beside Lance’s bed, making himself comfortable in the wheely chair. It was nostalgic of their time together when they’d first met and Keith thought that was sort of funny.

As he settled himself, leaning back and splaying his legs out, he let his hands fall into a relaxed heap between his legs. Keith leaned his head back and gazed up at the dim ceiling and let himself think.

A lot of things had happened. A lot of things had happened between the first time he’d seen Lance and now, sitting in a chair beside him in a hospital room. And it wasn’t that any of those things were bad. No, they’d been so good. There’d been so many good things. Keith remembered every single one. He remembered the way Lance’s eyes shone when he laughed and the way he looked at his cat and the way he pouted and the way he was- the way he was  scared. That wasn’t in his good memory folder. No that was seeping in from his horrors.

And Keith felt so fucking angry then. Lance had been _scared_. And Keith had been powerless. His eyes shifted to the IV in Lance’s arm.

He frowned.

Keith scooted a little closer, pushing against the tile with his feet and trying not to flinch at the squeak the wheely chair made. When he was close enough, he reached out and brushed a stray tuft of hair away from Lance’s face.

He leaned in close, studying the way Lance’s face looked relaxed then, the light from the window blinds casting shadows across the bridge of his nose. He looked peaceful, now, at least. That offered Keith a little peace of mind.

He smiled a bit, eyelids drooping as his hand slid down to cup Lance’s cheek. “Ugh, I’m so sorry about this.” He let out a breathy sigh and tapped his foot in time with the beeping of machines. He let his other hand find Lance’s, lacing his fingers there and giving a gentle squeeze.

“I’m sorry for a lot of things.” Keith continued. He was sure Lance was asleep. It was probably a bad idea to decide to let all his thoughts out now but it was the only way he could.

“You’re a great guy, Lance. You’re...amazing. And I’m. I don’t really think I deserve everything you’ve given me.” Keith thought. A smile flashed in his mind. A familiar smile. “If it weren’t for you, I would have never seen Katie-uh...Pidge. Again. That would still be haunting me, I’m sure.”

“And a lot of things haunt me.” Keith admitted. “You would always ask me if I’m okay and why I looked scared and the truth is, it’s because I am. And you know that, but it’s not just because I’m scared...It’s ‘cause...I’m scared of _myself._ ” Keith’s leg was jittering now, following suit with his foot,”But I don’t think I’m too scared anymore.”

He let the hand resting on Lance’s cheek rub at the soft skin there and his frown turned into a smile,”You probably wouldn’t care if I fucked up.” He paused a moment and then continued,”I did fuck up.”

“I shouldn’t have...I...I just feel like this was somehow my fault.” He released Lance’s hand and ran his fingers through his bangs,”But you probably wouldn’t want me to say that.”

“You’d probably get mad.” Keith laughed a little,”That’s another thing that makes you pretty amazing.”

Keith studied Lance’s face a little longer, eyes searching for...something. He chewed on is lower lip, contemplating something.

“I’m sorry I let them hurt you.” He thought about all the needles Lance had probably had to face, all by himself. 

 

He leaned over then and swept back Lance’s bangs, letting his lips brush the sleeping boy’s forehead. Keith lifted his head and was about to move back towards his chair but he lowered his eyes a little and-

Keith didn’t know if it was a bad idea or not but he lowered his head again and pressed his lips gently against Lance’s. He left them there for what seemed too long and then pulled away but a hand kept him there.

Startled, Keith’s eyes flew open as he felt lips back on his and realized Lance was _kissing_ him and God, what? He was able to pull away finally and reared back, eyes blown wide and arms out to stabilize himself. Lance was in the process of sitting up, and Keith really wanted to...assume he’d woken Lance up but the way he was smirking said otherwise.

 

“YOU WERE AWAKE!?”

Lance’s smirk fell slightly and his eyebrows hitched high on his forehead in worry,”Uh…”

“ASSHOLE! WHY DID YOU JUST-” Keith flailed his arms around,”-LET ME FUCKING. AAH.”

Lance scoffed, looking amused but also confused for all it was worth. He let his slight aggravation show,”WHO KISSES SOMEONE WHILE THEY’RE SLEEPING?!”

“YOU KISSED BACK, DICK!”

“O shit.” Lance looked a little tense now, on edge and his cheeks flared a little. His indignation showed through despite this,”Sorry, I...I shouldn’t have…” He smiled up at Keith then, but it was a face steeling itself for rejection.

Keith realized he was still probably sensitive from that day. When Keith had pushed him away and fallen into a panicked state. And the sadder reality of it was, he was probably feeling that way because he wanted to protect Keith. He didn’t want to hurt him, or something. Keith sighed and relaxed his muscles, settling back down in the wheely chair.

“No, don’t think like that.”

“Think what?” Lance’s eyes found Keith’s.

Keith waved in his general direction,”You make that face when you’re…” Keith shook his head,”You think I’m gonna push you away again. I’m sorry for that, by the way. I’m not gonna do it again.”

“Wasn’t your fault.” Lance shrugged, a gentle look on his face as he met Keith’s eyes again. Keith was the first to break eye contact.

Keith shook his head,”I…” He started and suddenly felt really cornered,”How much of what I said...did you hear?” He looked back up to meet Lance’s gaze.

“Oh, all of it. Every word.” Lance smirked again and the glimmer of mischief returned to his eyes. He tilted his head a little to the side and snorted when Keith’s expression turned to one of horror.

“That’s eavesdropping.” Keith glared.

Lance scoffed, a disbelieving grin on his face,”You were talking _to me._ ”

“No, I was…” Keith looked around the room and then pointed at the bed,”I was talking to your bed. You just... _happened_ to be in the room to hear it. Wasn’t meant for you. _Nope._ ”

“You’re such a shitty liar.” Lance laughed, running one hand down his face.

“You’re one to talk.” Keith grinned, leaning back in the chair and crossing his arms.

 

They sat in a soft silence for what seemed like forever. Keith looked down at his legs and Lance ran his hands through his hair, looking around the room and trying to gain his bearings. There was light noise traveling into the room from the halls but it was overall, pretty quiet.

Lance shifted,”You do know me pretty well.”

Keith looked up at him and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion,”Wha-”

“Because I am mad.” Lance continued, eyeing Keith with a pout,”You blame yourself for too much. You never let mistakes be mistakes and that be the end of it.” Lance’s eyes softened and he moved over a little in the bed,”One day you’ll believe me when I tell you that nobody blames you, Keith.”

Keith blinked, still confused. His eyes were almost hopeful as he stared up at Lance,”Wh..What’dya mean by that?”

 

Lance brought his legs up and circles his arms around them, looking down at the blankets draping over them, eyelids drooping,”Nobody blames you for your mistakes. You’re only human and that’s all they are. _Mistakes_. Mistakes can’t always be fixed, but they can be learned from. And I think you’ve beat yourself up enough. So just...nobody blames you.” Lance side-eyed Keith,”Nobody except for you.”

Keith held Lance’s side gaze for a moment before his eyes dropped to his lap. He sucked in a breath and held it before blowing it out slowly and shifting. He leaned forward in his chair then, hands clasped together.

It sounded just like the speech Shiro had given him once he was cleared for visitors. Being just an intern at the time, he wasn’t allowed near some parts of the hospital, and Allura had made it to where Keith was always too busy anyways. She knew the bond he and Shiro had and wouldn’t let his worries have a moment’s time to take over and make him panic.

And now here he was, Head Nurse and sitting beside someone’s bed and feeling like he was still a helpless intern who was somehow stuck in that time of his life. Somehow he just couldn’t break free from the fear of not being able to do anything right, not being able to do _anything_.

 

But Keith decided once speech was enough.

 

He slowly looked up from where he was sitting and captured Lance’s eyes once more,”Let’s make a pact.” He started, unsure of his own words.

“A pact?” Lance raised one eyebrow.

“Yeah.” Keith breathed and scooted closer in his chair, raising his hand and holding out his pinky. He smirked,”A promise. A pinky promise.”

Lance smirked and snorted as he leaned over,”Okay…?”

Keith cleared his throat and wiggled his pinky,”I’ll try to move on from my past...if...if you promise you’ll be there to help me.” He’d been hesitant to add that last part, his smile sort of turning contemplative as he still held out his pinky awkwardly.

Lance smiled warmly, however, and locked pinkies with Keith, his voice coming out gently,”You didn’t have to ask.”

Keith smiled stronger then and searched Lance’s eyes for a moment. Something warm. Something light and feathery and something he hadn’t felt in forever...was surfacing. He took a chance and leaned forward a little.

Lance seemed to catch on and he snorted, leaning forward the extra distance and pressing his lips to Keith’s. He pulled back too soon, however and removed his hand from Keith’s to pull at his front collar,”Get in here with me.”

Keith obliged, crawling into the bed alongside Lance, smiling,”I’m not even allowed to be in here.”

“Says the man crawling in my bed, yeah, okay.” Lance shut him up though, pressing his lips to Keith’s once he’d gotten halfway on the bed, sitting awkwardly beside him.

Keith let himself enjoy everything then. He didn’t feel the anxiety coming up. He didn’t feel the fear. So he didn’t think about it. He just let himself feel the way Lance’s lips were so soft against his own and the way his hands were so, _so_ warm.

And Keith had wanted this to happen for so long. He let one hand find Lance’s jaw and hold it in place while the other one supported his body weight as he leaned forward.

Lance smiled and pulled away to kiss at the corner of his lips and then up to his nose and then his eyelids and then back down to his lips, tugging him closer with both hands in his hair.

Keith obliged, moving forward and almost falling onto Lance when he shifted, the hand on his jaw moving down to sneak under the patient scrubs. And he could feel the small bumps there, snaking up to his collarbone, he could feel the scar.

And when he pulled away for air, to trail small butterfly kisses down Lance’s neck and pulling away the collar so he could kiss Lance’s scar, as he’d fantasized that very first day he’d seen it, he laughed. He laughed, light and airy against Lance’s skin.

 

And Lance laughed too.

* * *

  
  


“Pidge, I swear to God, if you make one more ‘I told you so’ comment I’m gonna scream.” Lance rubbed at his temples, letting out a groan. Keith snorted beside him as they walked into the apartment. Lance grunted and threw aside his keys while Keith closed the door half way.

 

“Just grab the shitty boxcutter and get your ass out here!” The gremlin screamed from somewhere out in the forsaken void of the apartment complex.

 

“She’s got a point, Lance.”

 

“Hey!” Lance whirled on his boyfriend and pointed an accusatory finger,”You don’t get a say in this!”

Keith held his hands up in mock defeat, a smirk playing on his lips. He walked over, grabbed the boxcutter from Lance and stole a quick peck from his lips,”You’ve got interior duty from here on out, I’ll go help our daughter.”

“She’s not our daughter, I do not assume responsibility for _that_.” Lance protested but smiled once Keith had started heading towards the door again.

 

He stood there in the all too familiar living room and looked around at the stacks of boxes. He smiled.

 

A while back, Keith had asked Lance to move in with him. Lance honestly had no idea what had prompted it or if Shiro had somehow pep talked him into asking because Keith had been really nervous, or at least looked it.

But Lance had said yes, and Hunk and Pidge had been happy for them. Pidge was set to move in with Hunk as his replacement roommate and everything was going well. He remembered telling Dave and Nyma and how supportive they’d been, his gamer squad always there to lend him their shoulders. He remembered being really happy.

Keith had kept his end of their early morning pinky promise. He’d been smiling more. Lance didn’t know if he was really helping but Keith insisted he was. He insisted that just by being there, he was helping.

Lance sighed and clasped his hands together, looking around the room. He really didn’t want to start unpacking right away. Interior design, his ass. He walked out of the living room and towards the bedroom they’d be sharing from then on out. He’d always thought Keith’s bedroom was cozy looking and now it was a familiar sight. He walked over to the dresser. A mirror was resting on top, along with a few random trinkets and a pocket knife that Lance had gotten him for a birthday gift a few months ago. But that’s not what made Lance smile.

There was a picture frame. Inside was a picture of everyone. Keith and Lance were in the middle, holding their cats, who were dressed in bows. Shiro was there with a coffee cup and looking like he had just been woken up, bangs tousled. He was sitting next to Lance on the couch. Allura sat beside Keith, snickering at the way he was holding Red up by her paws, her hind legs resting on his lap. It made Lance remember how much he’d loved meeting the woman.

And then there was Hunk, face only half in the picture as he smiled up from where he had been sitting on the floor, in front of the coffee table. It was a little blurry, mostly because Pidge was the one in the corner, taking the group photo with her phone. She was smiling the biggest, mouth open and laughing as she’d caught everyone in those poses.

 

And it was a great picture.

 

But, Lance decided, it needed a little improvement. Just a little bit- a reminder of what had brought them all together in the first place.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, searching for something. Once he found it, after digging through the several photos of Hunk he had stuffed in there (but everyone had pictures of Hunk, okay, even Keith), he pulled out what he’d been looking for and gently placed it in front of the picture frame. It was a small plastic bracelet with his name, age, gender, birthdate…

It was his hospital bracelet. He’d kept it for sentimental purposes, ya know. And it meant a lot to him. Altea Hospital meant a lot to him. Keith meant a lot to him. He remembered something.

 

_“Ugh...I guess I’m gonna need insurance now.” Lance said dramatically._

_Keith turned to him, confused,”You have insurance.”_

_“Naw, I need new health insurance. It’s gonna have to cover heart robbery.”_

_Keith scoffed, still confused,”Why would someone steal your heart? I’ll fight them?”_

_Lance just laughed,”Thanks. I know I can always count on that.”_

  


He smiled then. He didn’t think needles bothered him now, as much as they used to. Keith was always there to help him with things like that. And, as Lance smiled at the picture, he would continue to be. Keith meant the world to Lance, and with him around, Lance felt like he could handle anything.

And Lance knew he was head over heels for Keith. He’d known that since forever. And now it wasn’t something, a thought, that bothered him, made him sad because of things that could never be. Now it was something that was confirming and real and amazing. And it had happened without a warning. He’d fallen so quickly and strongly for Keith, there hadn’t been room for his heart to hit the floor. There hadn’t been room to feel the repercussions. And it had been the same for Keith, he guessed. He guessed neither of them had seen it coming.

“Hey, I thought you were gonna get something done in here?” His boyfriend's voice called from the other room,”I knew I shouldn’t have left you alone.”

Lance smiled again, leaving the room and going to finally start unpacking those boxes,”Sorry, Babe, was doing something important.”  

  
After all, a certain nurse had told him, it hurts less when you don’t see it coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's how this ends! I'm so happy to be able to have written this, especially with all the amazing support and nice messages I've received along the way! I'll continue to talk and post about this fic and the world it's created on my tumblr @cryptidcriss. Also please, please check out my wonderful friend and their tumblr @thesaxymcclain. Everything HIFTH related is tagged with "hifth" and "hifth fic"! Thanks for reading this work!

**Author's Note:**

> Remember to comment, it makes my day! And come meme at me on tumblr @beckology ! All tags for this fic are will be labeled as "hifth" "hifth fic" and "health insurance for the heart fic" with spaces!


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